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'iMiJ-: 



Old Settlers' History 



OF 



BATES COUNTY, 



MISSOURI. 



FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE FIRST DAY 
OF JANUARY. 1900. 



PUBLISHED HY 

TATHWELL Ia /AAXEY, 

AMSTERDAM. MO. 






CopvKU.iiT. 1S!I7. P.v S. L. TATIIWl':!,!. 



3 o o / c "^ 



Pr 1 Died by 

TflTHWELL & MOO«E, 

R rnsterda rp, Mo. 



Pubii^her^t" i^finouiicemen4. 



To Tlir OhI SfHlcrfi of Jiairs Coiinlij, iiutl 'llic I'nhlic in 

Geiirvdl . 

It is the intention of the pubUshers to jDresent un accurate 
and brief account of the settlement, growth and advance- 
ment of our county. Statistics are dry reading for the aver- 
age person, and may be found in carefully prepared public 
documents. We only use such as are necessary to verify 
specitic statements. Beliexing that a work compiled from the 
luirratives of those of tlie early settlers who yet remain with 
us. l)Ut wliose ranks are becoming broken and wavering, 
and will pi-ove most interesting reading to tiie thousands who 
are today enjoying the fruits of tlieir early toil, and having 
the greatest respect for the memories of the past, as well as 
for the participants in the various processes and stirring 
events which have wrought such wondrous changes in this 
beautiful and fertile county of ours, manifest by a compari- 
son of the conditions existing a half century ago with the 
immediate present; and believing that it is only by awaken- 
ing an interest in, and encoui'aging in\(\stigation of the nu- 
merous striking incidents of real life yet stored in the minds 
of the few remaining ones of the pioneer period, that tho.se 
valuable memento(»s of the past may be preser\'(Hl from ol>- 
livion we have compiled this work and herel^y wish to ac- 
knowledge our indebtedness and in some degree express oui- 
appreciation of the kindness of Hon. J. B. Newberiy, Clark 
Wix, S. C. Sturtevant, Judge C. I. Robords, Judge Bartlett, 
C. C. Blankenbecker. Prof. L. B. Allison, Judge C. P. Box- 
ley, John Divinny. Ed. S. Austin and others wiio have great- 
ly assisted us in our work by submitting invaluable articles, 
reminiscences, etc. And further desiring to cultivate more 
friendly and fraternal relations among those wlio have en- 
dured the trials and enjoyed the pleasures incident to pioneer 
life and early citizenship in our beloved county: We do most 
respectfully dedicate this work to The Old Settlers' Society 
of Bates County. 

S. L. Tathwell, / ri 1 1- 1 
H. O. Maxey! I P^^^l'-^li'-rs. 



PREFACE.. 

The compilers, in preparing tliis work, have sought to ob- 
tain only authentic narratives, and have diligently searched 
the obtainable records for all such facts as in their judge- 
ment are germane to a i^rief and reliable history of our county. 

Believing that the county is the nucleus of our govern- 
ment, and that at least in some degree a knowledge of its 
history is imperative to the highest concepticm of citizenship: 
we have prepared a history wliich we believe will be inter- 
esting as to fact, and which will be made entertaining by a 
recital of the experiences of its pioneers. 

The history of Bates County commences with the estab- 
lishment of Harmony Mission, and may be divided into four 
periods, viz: — 

I Period, Settlement: 1H21 to IHOO. 

II Period, War: 1H60 to 1865. 

III Period, Recuperation: l^s()^) to 1S70. 

IV Period, Development: 1H70 to 1900. 
Periods I to III are proper subjects for the attention 

of the historian; the IV period is but begun. First Pe- 
riod embraces thirty-nine of the seventy-eight years which 
have elapsed since the founding of the first settlement, and 
to it belong the interesting stori<>s of pioneer life, its priva- 
tions and its joys; its hardships, its excitements and its bliss: 
its labors and its pleasures. And great were the changes 
its years brought to pass. Broad prairies, whose limits the 
eye could not trace, one great mass of luxurient vegetation 
which grew in wild and tangled profusion: gloomy forests 
whose somber shades were scarce dispelled by the noon-day 
sun, the ideal home of beasts of prey: within thirty-nine years 
from the time of the founding of the tirst white settlement, 
both wood and prairie acknowledged the power of the con- 
queror. 

The first settlements were made along the many water- 
courses, as we find it to be the case in all countries. There 
the hardy pioneer found material to build his rude, but serv- 



iciible and substantial (hvcHiii.i;' and fence his fields. The 
forests also offered protection frc^m the storms which swept 
aci'oss the unbi'oken expanse of ])rairies. 

The first settlers were from Viri>'iiiia, Kentucky. Tennes- 
see and oth(M- soutluM'n staters, many of wlioni had before set- 
tled in older portions of tiie state and were attracted to this 
st'ction by the story of its rich soil and equable climate. 

The develo])ment of tlie setthMiieuts was not rapid, owing 
to file li'reat distance from mai'l^et and the slow and tedious 
l)rocess of freiii'litin^' in sujjplies. l)ut the pioneer is not a 
man to be easily discoura.u'ed and l.e went sturdily on with 
ills work, and his wants were few outside of what the re- 
sources of tlu' country alTordt'd liim. It is a matter of con- 
Jii'at nhition that he was hut little troubled by the Indian, 
who.se huutinu' .urouiids lu' nsur])ed. But few acts of depre- 
dation were committed by th(» red num. and not a single at- 
tack was mad^ on a white settlement. The woods also, ap- 
peal' to iiave been especially free from ferocious or really 
dangerous aniuuils, althougii Ihey abounded in game and af- 
forded rare sport for the hunter. 

While the white man first came to this county in isill, the 
tid(^ of emigration did not turn in this direction until nearly 
twenty years later. From tliat time until tlie breaking out 
of the Civil War was tlu' real colonial ])eriod. The story of 
])eriod I is a story of trials and hardships, but also one of 
])rog]"ess. P(>riod II is a tale of sorrow, of terror and of re- 
trogression. The tidal wave <if a night sweeps away the 
mighty city whicli taxed the ingenuity of man to rear in a 
liundred years'. Tlie blight of the Civil War almost wiped 
out tlie results of tiiirty-nine years of weary toil. 

Altliougli th(^ caui])aign of 1S()() showed the southern syra- 
])athizers to be ox'erwhelmingly in the majority, there were 
a goodly number who refused to take up arms against the 
Federal government. There were no regular engagements 
f (night in the county, but border ruffians and bushwhackers 
left a trail of l)lood on tlie fair page of our history. To check 
tli(»se outrages. Home Guards were organized and did good 
worlv in ([Uelling th(^ lawless element. It was only, howev- 
er, in tile towns tiiat adequate prottn-tion could be afforded, 
and after a series of robberies and murders the greater part 
of tlie settlers left their faims. and thousnndsof acres of fer- 



tilo land were allowed to return to their wild state. Tlie pe- 
riod closes with ruin and desolation showiu<>- black andijrrim 
on every side. 

The close of the war stopped actual hostilities, but left 
many bitter feuds, some of which lasted for years. When 
the militia was withdrawn, the disorg-anized civil .govern- 
ment was almost overpowered in its struggle with this tur- 
bulent element, and it was not until l^i^fS that any consider- 
able number of the refugees returned to their ruined home- 
steads. Many ne\'er returned, and their lands reverted to 
the government. Slowly the rough places were smoothed 
over; houses were built and fields reclaimed. Law and or- 
der triumphed, and progress once more took up its onward 
march. Then came the rush of immigration, largely fi"om 
the east and north, and new life was infused into both business 
and social affairs. Dui-ing the latter half of this period phe- 
nominal progress was made. 

Period IV finds our county fully settled, ready to enter on 
a long period of development. The hirge tracts of cojumons. 
which had heretofore furnished i)asturage and hay for the 
community adjacent, passed under prix-ate ownership, and 
our prairies lost their identity. Cities and towns filled up 
and new ones were established. This was an era of railroad 
building, (on paper) and some of these projects have left un- 
pleasant memories. In the seventies, goods were freighted 
from Appleton City and Pleasant Hill, Missouri, antl La 
Cygne, Kansas. With the exception of the Missouri, Kan- 
sas & Texas wdiich touched the south-east corner, the countj^ 
was without railroad facilities until her great coal fields wcn-e 
developed in 1880. Since that time a great industry lias 
been carried on. 

As to the thoroughness with which we have covered the 
ground thus briefly sketched, we leave the generous reader 
to judge. 



OK J5 VTK8 COL'NTY. ' l'> 



Al I S 8 C) U R I . 

Sk-rlrit of Sidle UlsIuii/ lo IS.JI, W'lirii Colin I ij llisloiij Dc- 

gl IIS. 

Ill order tliat we, us Historiuns — M we be permitted, to use 
the title — may faithfully portray the wonderful and unex- 
ampled development of Bates County, and satisfy the con- 
ditions imposed by ourselves, it is necessary to brietiy sketcli 
the history of that part of the territory west of tlie Mississip- 
pi Kivei', wliicli now cotis'titutes the great State of Missouri, 
and of wiiich Bates County — ^our particular care — has as va- 
lied. thrilliiiii' and interest) ne," a story as any part thereof. 

Long', long years before the sound of the ax was heard in 
the forests, or the waters of the lakes and rivers were dis- 
turVjed by the white man's canoe, the Indian roamed over 
the prairies, pitched his rude camp in the forests, and tish- 
ed in the waters — undisturbed by traders, "fire water," or 
homeseekers; living his primitive life with few wants, and 
tliose wants easily supplied by the bountiful products of Na- 
ture, ever ready to be gatliered, and without money or price. 

This condition of things remained entirely unbroken until 
\'^\\, when Hernando deSoto, that Prince of Spanish explor- 
ers and adventurers, (In his vain and fatal search for gold, 
was incited to penetrate further and further into the un- 
known wilderness, by the stories of iiiexhaustable supplies 
of gold to be found, told iiim by the Indians.) reached, with 
a part of his followers, the banks of the Mississippi, and 
crossed over into Missouri near what is now New Madrid 
count3% and continuing his search traveled westwardly across 
the southern part of the state and then south into what is 
now Arkansas. 

His explorations in tliis part of tln^ country, however, 
amounted to nothing more than furnishing Spain with a 
claim to the territory which it was never able to make good, 
because the Spaniards did not follow De Soto's work by any 
effort to colonize, until the countrv here was settled bv tlie 



11 OLD SF.T'l I.KIJs' lllSToia' 

subjects of another power. 

Not until more than one liundred years after DeSoto was 
here, have we any record of tliis country having- been visited 
by another white man. 

A French nobleman, James Marquette, part soldier, part 
priest, inspired by a lofty desire to carry Christianity to the 
red man; in 1673, accompanied by Louis Joliet and some few 
others, was the second white man to set foot on what is now 
Missouri soil. He and his companions floated, in canoes, 
down the Mississippi as far as the mouth of the Arkansas, 
and returning to the French settlements in the north, gave 
such a glowing account of the country they had visited: its 
mighty rivers, abundance^ of game and docib^ Indians, tiiat 
Robert De La Salle was tired with a desire to exjjlore this 
country fui'ther and take possession of so promising a terri- 
tory for his master, Louis XIV of France. 

Accordingly, in 1()SL> he orgaiiized an expedition for this 
purpose and, reacliing the Mississippi, descended it to its 
mouth and formally took possession of all the territory d»'ain- 
ed by it and its tributaries and named tlio entire country 
Louisiana. Therefore the French were the first to take pos- 
session of this territor3\ and tJie lirst to tiiorouglily explore 
it. 

In ITi).') ant)thor paily of French ascended the Missouri to 
the vicinity of what is now Jackson county, and in ITIU the 
country was crossed by them from the Osage to the north- 
west part of the pi'esent state; and from this time exploring 
and trading expeditions were numerous throughout the en- 
tir(^ country. 

But the country was still claimed by Spain and in 171*0 the 
Spaniards made one futile effort to wrest it from the French, 
by sending out an expedition which was betrayed by its 
guides to hostile Indians, but it served to arouse the Frencli 
who now sent troops into the country and built a fort some- 
where on the Missouri near the mouth of Grand River, but 
these people were soon after killed by the Indians and this 
settlement abandoned 

The fur trade and iiunti ng were vigorously continued, but 
no effort to S(»ttle or hold tlie country was again made until 
about 1785 to 4") when a settlement was made at St. Gene- 
vieve, in the ea^stern part of th(> state on the Mississi]>])i R\\- 



OF 14. \ IKS (OlNI'V. 12 

(']•. near the site of the town at ])i'os('nt Ix'arinii' tliat naino. 

Tliis settleuieut was made by a party of Ffeiich miners un- 
der the direction of a wealtliy French mine operatoi-. Ue- 
nault, vs'ho came across the river in a vain search for u'old 
and silver, but in their searcJi they did tind valuable lead de- 
l)osits, and proceeded to erect smelters, and mine and smelt 
the ore. France furnished them a ready market for all the 
lead they could ])roduce. and the -'Father of Waters" was 
tlie great highway oji which their boats might carry it down 
to New Orleans to be there shipped to France. Tiie import- 
ance of this industi'y caused numbers of settlers to tlo:-k here 
and 8t. Genevieve soon became a place of no mean im])or- 
lance. But in 17N.'t tiie original town was destroyed Vjy an 
oNerflow of the Mississippi and tlie new t(twn was l)uilt up 
wiiere it now is. 

The next important settieuH'nt was made at Ht. Louis in 
1H()4. Pierre Laclede, a French fur trader, selected this 
si>ot, foi- the establishment of his trading post, because of 
its excellent facilities for communication with the Indians of 
the West ai\d North-west and also because it was a convenient 
place from which to ship his furs to New Orleans to market. 

About the time Laclede was founding St. Louis, Blan- 
chette was erecting rude buildings and trading with the In- 
dians at the si)ot on which 8t. CUiarles now stands. It was 
first called Village of the Hills, and at this place and in the 
territory tributary to it occuri'ed most of the Indian troubles 
and massacres wliich were attendant uijon the settlement of 
this state. 

But just at this time came the decisive battle of Quebec 
Aviiich forced Fi'aiu-e to dispose of practically all of lier terri- 
tory in North America and in the I'e-arrangeujent of bounda 
I'ies all the country w<\st of the Mississippi that had 'oeen 
claimed by Fi-ance was given to Spain and th<M-eby Missouri 
became undisputed Spani.sh territory. But Spain sent no of- 
ficials to take charge of the civil affairs until 1770 and the 
French so heartily disliking tJie Ejiglish and also thinking 
tile Spanisii would perhaps ne\ei-give the country attention. 
Hocked in grc^t numbers from east of the Mississippi to 
Spanish territory and rapidly settled tlie eastern portion of 
the state. The settlers congregated for the most ])art in vil- 
lages and held the land in common, each settlei- ixMiig ]n-i\i- 



i;; OLD si; 111. Kits insToiiV 

leged to fence and culti\';ite as much as lif cafcd to. 'i'li»'y 
enjoyed civil and religious liberty in a Uiai'ki d decree. 

This brings us up to the time when Nepoleon. at tlu; \in-y 
zenith of his power and glory, was practicing the art of em- 
pire building at the expense of the Eastern Continent, not 
being satisfied with so small an area for his gigantic plans 
for the extension of French supremacy, he erected the King- 
dom of Etruria, and secretly, from fear of England, proposed 
to the king of Spain to make his son-in-law king of this n(nv 
kingdom in exchange for the cession, by Spain to France, 
of Louisiana. Tiiis proposition was accepted and thereby 
Louisiana, of which Missouri was then a part, again became 
French territory. But so important an exchange could not 
long be kept secret, and soon became knowui in both Eng- 
land and America. This knowledge caused great alarm in 
the United States, from the fact that the relations between 
France and this government were somewhat strained at this 
time, and France, having control of the Mississippi, could do 
the people west of tire Alleghanies incalculable harm by 
closing the river to them, as it was their only practicable 
outlet at that time. England, however, determined to pre- 
vent Nepoleon's possessing himself of this territory, and he, 
realizing his inability to defend France and hold the terri- 
tory, proposed to sell it to the United States, in order both' 
to conciliate us and prevent the possibility of England se- 
curing it. His pro^josition was egarly accepted, and for tlie 
sum of |15,000,0v)!), we became the possessors of Louisiana, 
and Missouri became a part of the United States. 

The Territory was socki after divided, and the part con- 
lainin-g Missouri attached to the Territory of Indiana for the 
purpooo of government, but tiie people objecting to this, it 
was soon afterwards detached and made a separate Territory, 
the first Governor being James Wilkinson. It was from this 
time on rapidly settled, principally by immigrants from the 
Eastern states. This continued until 181H. wdien the people 
of the Territory applied for admission as a state. 

This api)lication brought on a violent contest between the 
slavery and anti -slavery factions in Congress, finally settled 
by the Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri as a 
slave state. On August 10th, 1 821 , by proclamation of Presi- 
dent Monroe, it became in fact a state. 




FRANK E. KELLOGG 

was born in Claridon, Geauga County, Ohio, on the 20th day of April, 
1851 ; brought up on a farm, remaining on the one purchased from the 
Connecticut Land company and cleared up by his grandfather in the early 
part of the present century; taught several terms in the district school and 
"boarded around" ; in 1879 in his home township, was elected justice of 
the peace and at this time was also reading law. Resigning his position, 
he came to Missouri in October, iSSo, and embarked in the mercantile 
business; resided in Butler one year, since which time he has been a 
resident of Rich Hill, Missouri, and for eighteen years was secretary and 
treasurer of the M. S. Cowles Mercantile company. His old congressional 
district (the 19th Ohio) was for many years represented by Benj. F. Wade. 
Joshua R. Giddings and James A. Garfield, and he was quite well acquaint- 
ed with the latter. Was married to Delia J. Wells in 1877; one child, a 
daughter, Delia May, was born February 5, 1883. He was elected 
superintendent of the First Presbyterian Sunday School in Rich Hill 
in January, 1894. and still holds that position, going to Rich Hill every 
Sunday. His hobby is the breeding of Shorthorn cattle and he is 
interested in one of the best herds of pure bred animals in the countrj'. 
Mr. Kellogg has always been a republican in politics and represented his, 
the Sixth Congressional District of Missouri, as a delegate in the Republi- 
can National Convention at St. Louis in 1896. Was appointed Collector 
of Internal Revenue for the Western district of Missouri, and entered upon 
the duties of his office May I, 1899. Frank Kellogg, as he is familiarly 
called, is one of the most companionable men in the world, and his friends 
are only numbered by the limit of his acquaintance. He is a capable, 
faithful business man. and an honorable part}' politician. His relations 
and influence with the present administration is all that one of his position 
could ask. While he is temporarily residing with his estimable family 
in Kansas City, Bates county is his home, and her people feel a local pride 
in his successful career. Hence his place in this Bates County book. 



OK UATlvS (OINTV. 14 



ORGRNIZflTION OF THE COUNTY. 

,1 tedious vi'srarrli auionii I lie rccoids of n lin I f cciil ii nj ii^o; 
iviltirii sonic fill- ijriifs (I 0(1 hij ,S. ('. St n 1 1 c r/i ii I , (I'inl is lie 
oo'iiJzri/ (IS II rorrrct iicroiiiit of llic (\iiiiitii Jioii ml" lies niiil 
(lorcriiini'iif . Tli rou gli III/' roii ili'sif of rhiilgi' ('lurk W i.v, 
I ',rr /'ri'siilriif of 'llir ()!i! Sri tiers' .-i ssix'i n 1 1 on , irr srriirril 
III! (I II i liDi' s coll SI III Id re jiroit lie :tic iirtiiic ticic. 

The raitliCnl hi >t()i'i;iii in talciii.u' upon lilmsclf the taslc of 
«iiviii<4- aiiythin^ii' like a complete accoiuit of any pai"t of the 
earth wishes, of course, to l)e<.;fin at the be,ii'inniii,^'. But up- 
on goin.n' back to find the point at which to coamience, he in- 
variably finds himself beyond the time of authentic record 
and in the midst of traditions, theories and suppositions, 
whicli. pei'haps, have a foundation in fact, but which are dif- 
ferently interpreted and lead investigators to different con- 
clusions, so that the ordinary reader is utterly unable to set- 
tle in his own mind what is the truth. We find it utterly im- 
I)OSsibIe to fix dates or gi\e any connected account of the 
jieople of pi'ehistoi'ic times, yet w^e have evidence to estab- 
lish beyond a d(jubt. that ])oi)ulous. powerful and wealthy 
nations existed thousands of years preceeding the period of 
which we have any recorded history. 

In is,).") a t(M"rit)rial govern uKMit was organized l>y Congress 
for the territory emi^i'aced in the L:)uisiana l^nrchase. The 
settled pai'ts of Missouri were divided into four districts. l)ut 
as no white men lived in w^iiat is now F^ates County, it was 
not included in either, but ]"(Mnained unorganized until Jan- 
uary I'o. ISK), wdien the Territorial Legislature i)assed an 
act organizing Howard county. It included all tluit j)art of 
Missouri north of the Osage and west of ('edar Creek and the 
dividing ridge between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. 
It comprised what is now ninteen counties north of the river, 
twelve south of the river and part of nine others. The county 
seat was fixed at Cole's Port, where the fir-^t court was held 
.luly '^. INK). In ls|7 the countv seat 'Was removed to Frank- 



15 OLD SKTTLKlCs" HISTORY 

lin, on the Missouri River. Tiie spot on which it stood has 
been entirely washed away by the ever-fehiiting carrent of 
the Missouri. Saline county was organized from territory 
south of the river, in l!S20 and 1821, by the first State Legis- 
lature, Missouri having been just admitted as a state. The 
next session, 1821-22, Jaclsson county was organized from 
territory between tiie Marais des Cygnes and Missouri rivers. 
Harmon}^ Mission was established in 1821, and was the only 
settlement in what is now Bates. In 1833 a new county was 
organized out of that part of Jackson now comprised in the 
counties of Bates, Cass and Vernon, and was named Van 
Buren in honor of Martin VanBuren, then Vice President 
under Jackson. Afterwards, during Van Buren's adminis- 
tration, he became very unpopular in this locality and Gen- 
eral Lewis Cass, being tlien a j^opular statesman and the 
member of the State Legislature from the county, secured 
the passage of a bill changing the name from Van Buren to 
Cass county, but not making any change in the boundry 
lines. Thus it remained till 1811, when Cass was divided on 
the line dividing townships 40 and 41, the territory south of 
that line to the present south line of Vernon being the new 
cjunty and it was called Bates. It will be observed that the 
north line of Bates was then only three miles north of where 
Butler now stands. 

The tirst court was held in the church al Harmony Mis- 
sion, with Hon. Foster P. Wright as Presiding Judge. The 
courts were held at this place three or four 3^ears, then the 
county seat was located on the north bank of the river, 
where Papinsville now stands, the town being named in hon- 
or of Milicourt Papin, a French trader who donated tlie land 
for the town. William Gil breath of Hudson township, was 
one of the commissioners to select the site for the county 
seat. Being at the head of navigation on the Osage it soon 
besame quite a trading point, and a considerable village grew 
up. The unsurpassed facilities for stock raising in this lo- 
cality soon attracted many settlers, and as the population in- 
creased various projects were devised for new^ counties. 

Harrison ville was the county seat of Cass and situated 20 
miles north of the south line, as the boundaries of the county 
were at that time. The people of that town and vicinity 
furnished the majority of voters in the county and they fear- 



OF iiVTES COl NTV. I <> 

ed that when the territoi-y sh(nikl all becoLue settled up the 
county seat would be removed to Austin, or some other lo- 
(!ation near the center of the county. They were, therefore, 
anxious to o'ive off that part of the county south of Grand 
Kiver, that tliey might be sure of holding the county seat at 
Harrisonville. Accordingly, their Representative, in con- 
nection with the Representative of Bates. Major McHenry, 
made an effort to organize a new county, but failed to carry 
it through. R. B. Fisher was the next Representative from 
Bates, and in connection with tlie Cass county man, he got a 
bill through, forming a new county, comprised of tlie same 
territory as is now included in the b;)undaiies of Bates, ex- 
cept that the south line extended e^tst fi-om the Kansas line, 
as now, until it reached the Osage, wliere, instead of follow- 
ing the river channel as at present, it crossed and continued 
due east, thus leaving Papinsville in the old county Avhich 
retained tlie name of Bates, and the new county was called 
Vernon. 

The citizens of Papinsville were latterly opposed to the 
new^ county and claimed that the act establishing it was un- 
constitutional. The old County Court proceeded to i^uild a 
brick court house at Papinsville and a line bridge across the 
river at tiiat place, hoping by these measures to retain the 
county seat, which they would, by reason of their location, 
be sure to lose if the new arrangement became permanent. 
Edmund Bartlett, T. B. Arnett and Wm. Lakey were ap- 
pointed County Court judges of the new county andproceed- 
(d to organize townships, establish precincts, appoint town- 
ship otticers and exercise all the duties of the County Court. 
It being in no judicial circuit there was no Circuit Court held 
in the county. The commissioners appointed to locate the 
county seat, fixed on the present site of Butler, but there was 
no building t lereon and the County Court met at the house of 
Charles Adams. At the next election. Rogers, Clem and 
Peely were elected County Court judges: J. E. Morgan, 
clerk; Samuel Scott, sherilf; John Cummins, treasurer; and 
M. D. Osborn, Public Administrator, and they proceeded to 
]jut the affairs of the new county, Vernon, into proper shape. 

Meanwhile the enemies of the arrangement were planning 
to defeat it. A suit was brought, in the Circuit Court at 
Papinsville, against Sam Scott for attempting to perform 



17 OLD SlOT'lI.KUs" JIlsToliV 

duties of sheriff within tlie county of Bates, iKjt haviuij- Ix'cu 
legally elected to that office. This was for the purpose of 
testing' the constitutionality of the act establishing tiie new 
county. A change of venue was taken to Henry county. 
The act in question was claimed to be void for a variety of 
reasons, but the only one decided by tJie court to be valid 
was that it reduced the old county of Bates Ijelow the ratio 
of population required for a representati ve district. A judge- 
ment was given setting aside the act as unconstitutional. An 
appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of the state, and the 
judgement of the lower court was aitirmed. Sam Scott was 
lined one cent. 

The population incre.iS3J so rapidly that the p.)iiit m:u] ' 
in the above suit could never again be sustained. In 185"), J. 
E. Morgan, now of Warsaw. Mo., was electyd to the Legis- 
lature and succeeded in putting through a i)ill attaching that 
part of Cass south of Grand River and the line between town- 
ships 41' and 4;] to Bates County, and then striking off the 
soutli part of Bates to form a new county to be called Ver- 
non, and removing the county seat of Bates County 1o Bu'Jyr. 
As that act established the county lines of Bates and Vernon, 
they still remain. 

J. E. Morgan built the first house in Butler, virhile the laml 
was still vacant. He aftei'wards entered the land and donat- 
ed a part of it for the county seat. Tlu^ County Court was 
composed of John D. Myers, Edmund Bartlett and J. O. 
Pearson. They made a new plat for the town and R. L. 
Duncan laid it out in October, IKM\. The records of the 
county were removed to Butler, and the first session of the 
Circuit Court was held in an old school houtie, by Judge R. 
B. Hicks. The attorneys in attendance were Thomas H. 
Sterns of Bates, W. P. Johnson of St. Clair, R. G. Pay ton of 
Cass, and Thomas Freeman of Polk. William Jennings was 
one of the Grand Jurors. They held tlieii- sessions on a dry 
knoll in the high prairie grass, but as no complaints were 
laid before them lliey were soon disclnirged. 

At this time two-thirds of the land in the county belonged 
to the Government, but in the next three years it was nearly 
all entered, and in ISO] tlie county contained a population of 
6,765, and Butler was a well Iniilt town of l()!)i) j^eople. •■•• •-• '• 

S. C. Sti'ktevant. 




. 5CH0OIV TOWNSHIP LIHti 'iec , iON LINE5— RAIL ROADS— RIVtRi Ml T0WNb6VILLA&^ 

- — COUNTRy HOADi 




W. W. GRAVES. 

Judge W. W. Graves, the subject of this sketch, was born in 
Lafayette County, Mo., December 17, 1IS60; was educated in 
the public schools and State University. He was appointed 
School Commissioner of Bates County by Governor Marmaduke 
and was elected for a full term. The only other public office he 
has held was city attorney for the city of Butler. He was nom- 
inated for Circuit Judge by the Democratic convention in 1898, 
after a protracted struggle, and was triumphantly elected at the 
following election. Judge Graves has now been on the bench 
about one year, and he has established a reputation for judicial 
acumen and fairness, and is undoubtedly one of the ablest 
circuit judges in Missouri, as well as one of the youngest. He 
has had a phenomenal career at the bar since he abandoned the 
teacher's birch and the editorial tripod in a country village. 
Hard work and close application has earned for him deserved 
success in the profession, and a bright future is before him. 



OK BATKS COUNTY. 20 



BATES COUNTY. 



PERIOD I— FROM 1821 TO LsOO. 

SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY. 

In comparison with other sections of the state the settle- 
ment of tlie territory now incladed in Bates Countj' was slow. 
We find much older settlements to the south, north and east 
of us, and even in the eastern part of Kansas many settle- 
ments, befoi'c this section was in any considerable measure 
l)rou,ii;"ht under the dominion of tlie white man. The reason 
for this is found in the fact that this territory was set apart 
by the ii'overnment as a reservation for the Indians, and the 
land was not open to liomestead. So no title could be secur- 
ed to the land uatil after the Indians were removed (about 
1837) and it was then some time before the surveys could be 
completed and the land opened for the homeseeker. Pre- 
vious to this time people came and built cabins, cultivated 
small tracts of land along- the streams, and hunted and trap- 
ped in the forests. Many of these people were of that roving 
class of adventurers Vvdio never remain in one place for any 
lengtii of time, and when they heard of a more promising* 
field, or grew tired of the spot where they were staying, all 
they had to do was to "pull up stakes" and travel. These 
conditions make it jieculiarly difficult to attempt to give any 
definite record of "First Settlements," or "First Settlers." 
As thei-c are no land entries to be consulted, or records of 
any kind to exauiine, itisouly a matter of recollection or tra- 
dition as to the very first settlements. The oldest settlers 
now living have recollections of older settlers, and many re- 
membar abandoned settlements which had been the home, 
fen- a time at least, of some adventurous person, long since 



21 OLD SIOTTLIOICS llIsroKY 

removed, unci no trace left but a ruined cabin, and tields which 
were, in souie instances, covered with a heavy growth of 
timber. 

There are ver^- good theories advanced to support tlie claim 
that some of these old settlements <inti-date the establish- 
ment of Harmony Mission, on the Osage, commonly accepted 
as tlie first settlement made by whites within the present lim- 
its of the county, as it most surely is the first of which any 
authentic account can be given. For these reasons Harmony 
Mission is taken as the starting point in the settlement of 
this section, although it was in no sense a settlement in its 
self, but the fact that there was a little band of whites estab- 
lished there led otiiers, who were to be permanent settlers, 
to rear homes near this Mission, thus forming a nucleus, or 
foundation fo)- more extensive developments, radiating from 
this common center, and merely as such we shall treat it. 



HAKM(3NY MISSION. 



Up to the year 1837, the Osage Indians made their home 
in the southern part of Bates County and northern part of 
Vernon, and about 1820, having some business with the 
"Great Father, " at Washington, they sent a delegation of 
Indians to that place to make known to him their desires, 
and, among other things, they preferred a request for mis- 
sionaries to be sent out to their tribe, for the purpose of 
teaching them Christianity and interesting them in the arts 
of civilization. 

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 
having headquarters at Boston, Mass., being informed of the 
request of the Indians, immediately set about complying with 
it. Volunteers were not at all scarce, and in the spring of 
1821, a party was organized for this jmrpose. Rev. N. B. 
Dodge was chosen Superintendent, and some twelve or fif- 
teen persons, of various occupations, agreed to meet at Pitts- 
burg, ready with supplies, tools, etc., for their long and ard- 
uous journey into the wilds of the far West. 

They embarked in two keel-boats, without sails, or otlier 




THOS. W. SILVERS. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Davis County, Iowa, 
and grew to manhood in Decatur County, Iowa. Was educated 
in the public scliools and in an academy at Leon, Iowa. Was 
admitted to the bar at the age of 21, at Leon, Iowa, and soon 
afterward came to Bates County — in 1877 — and began the 
practice of his profession in Butler in 1878. Was elected pros- 
ecuting attorney of Bates County for a term, January ist, 1880. 
He has also served the people as city attorney several terms. 

As a lawyer he is regarded as among the ablest attorneys at 
the bar of this county and state. His forensic ability is of the 
ftrst-class, and few lawyers have had a more uniform success. 
Quiet, unassuming and companionable he has many warm 
friends in all the walks of life. 



OF I'.ATKS C'OL'NTY. 22 

means of propulsion except tlian by oars, or "poling"' as it was 
called. While their course led them down stream they lloat- 
ed with tlie cun-eiit, and w4ien up stream they w^ere compel- 
led to resort to the oars, or poles. The poling was done 
by the men taking a long pole and, standing in the bow of 
the boat, they would stick one end of the pole in the mud, 
holding to tlie other and pushing, walk to the stern, then 
repeat the operation, thereby slowly and laboriously w^orking 
tiieir way against the current. In this way they worked on 
until finally, on the 9th day of August, 1821, they reached 
a spot about 3 miles below the present site of Papinsville — 
formerly spelled Paj^inville — and there found a few French 
traders, probably from St. Louis, who were camped there 
for the purpose of trading with the Indians and not as per- 
manent settlers. 

Here the missionaries determined to establish their mission 
and pitched their camp near this place and named it Harmo- 
ny Mission. Until they could erect log cabins, they were 
compelled to live in tents, and endure all of the hardsliips in- 
cident to this mode of life, and all this they were doing, not 
for money or expectation of worldly gain, but that the}^ 
miglit carry the blessings of Christianity to the ignorant child 
of the prairie, for the organization wMiich sent them out only 
2)aid their actual exjDenses and nothing more. They soon 
had rude cabins erected and moved into them, establish- 
ed a school for the Indian children and began tlieir efforts 
for the betterment of these peojDle. The Indians generally 
were not so anxious for advancement in civilization as their 
delegates had baan, and they even demmded pay from the 
Mission for the j^rivilege of using their children as pupils. 

For some time after their arrival here tiiey were compel- 
led to freight their goods from Jefferson City, but later they 
got them at Independence. 

Although the Mission served as a beginning for the settle- 
ment of wiiat is now Bates County, considered from the 
standpoint of the Missionary Society it was a practical fail- 
ure, for after many of the younger Indians had embraced 
Christianity and received some degree of education, they 
would, as soon as released from school, return to their tribes 
and instead of teaching them, they returned to their old trib- 
al customs and were as much savages as ever. 



23 OLD SiriTLKliS JllSTOUY 

But notwithstunding this disappoiutuient the Missionaries 
continued their lalwrs until 1^37, wlien the Os.iges were re- 
moved farther west and, there being no longer occasion for 
mauitaining it, the Mission was abandoned. The buildings 
were sold to the government for $iSOO() which went to the 
Society, and the Missionaries being left without support, 
scattered to various parts of the country and with one excep- 
tion were lost track of. This exception was Dr. Jones, who 
settled on Deepvvater near Montrose in Henry county, and 
whose daughter — Mrs. Austin — wlio recently resided in Mont- 
rose, was born at the Mission, being the first white child 
born in the county of which we have any knowledge. 

The Eequas, who lived for a time at the Mission, settled 
in Lone Oak township, and many of their descendants still 
reside there. There are, also, a number of people now living 
who settled in the county while the Mission was in existance 
and who had some chance to observe its w^orkings, and who 
arc still able to give interesting accounts of its members. 

And, while the work of this brave and unselfish little 
band produced but very little perceptable results in as far as 
tlie Indians were concerned, we give them all honor for tiieir 
untiring efforts for the good of their fellow beings. 

After the Mission was abandoned a nujnber of settlers re- 
mained, and in 1(^41 a post-office was established here under 
the name of Batesville, tlie liist post-office in the county. 
Before this time the nearc.'st post-office had been at Independ- 
ence, Missouri, nearly one hundred miles distant, so we can 
surmise that the change was hailed witli joy l)y tlie settlers 
who were sepai'ated from relatives and friends, whom they 
had left in older sta,tes and communities. 

In the winter of 1810-41 an act was passed b}' the Legisla- 
ture for the purpose of organizing a number of counties in 
this state from territory until this time unorganized, and 
among others was one to be known as Bates County — so nam- 
ed in honor of Edward Bates, a native of Virginia and a very 
eminent lawyer and statesman, his last public service being 
rendered as Attorney General in President Lincoln's Cabinet. 

The following boundaries were fixed by this act for Bates 
County: 

Beginning on tlu» western boundary line of tliis state, at 
the south-west coiaun- of Van Bur(Mi countv: tli(Mic(^ (\ist to 



OF liATKS COUNTY. 24 

the sonth-oast corner of said county; thence south on the 
rani^e line dividing' ranges 28 and 29, to the township Hne di- 
viding townsJiips 3o and 34; thence west on said townshi}) 
line to tiie western line of the state; thence north on said 
line to tlie jDlace of beginning, is hereby created a separate 
and distinct county, to be called and known by the name of 
tlie county of Bates. 

The boundaries of Bates County so remained until 1851 
wlien the Legislature passed an act creating Vernon county, 
and including therein very nearly the same territory as this 
county now contains, but this act was declared unconstitu- 
tional and nothing more was done until 1855, when a strip of 
territory 25 miles wide and about 30 long was detached from 
the south side of Bates, and organized as the county of Ver- 
non. At the same time a j^art of Cass was add^d to Bates, 
giving this county the boundaries which have so remained 
since. 

The Legishiture of 184!»-4L. which created the original 
County of Bates, also decreed that the Circuit and County 
Courts sJiould be held at Harmony Mission until such time 
as a permanent county seat be selected, or tlie County Court 
order otherwise. The courts held their sessions in the school 
house as long as the conntv seat remained here. 



PAPINSVILLE. 



Owing, possibl}'. to the removal of the Mission, and the 
fact that the new site offered better facilities for conducting 
the limited commerce of those days by being better suited 
for a boat-landing, a new town was laid out in 1847, about 
threi' miles from Harmony Mission, on the Marais des Cygnes 
River, and named in honor of a Mr. Papin, a French Indian 
trader. The town grew rapidly and. showing evidence of 
attaining to some importance, the county seat w\as located 
here in 1848, and Harmony Mission rapidly became merely a 
memory of by-gone days. 

It will be remembered that at this time the county extend- 
ed some twenty-five miles south of the Osage River and that 



25 OJJ) .SKTTLKUs" JllsTOUV 

tile north line was some distance south of wnore it now is 
and, there being no other town of any size in the county, it 
was believed that the seat of county government would re- 
main at Papiusville. . This appeared all the more sure when 
it was considered that the river afforded almost the only, 
and by far the most feasible, route for the shipment in and 
out, of such commodities as constituted the articles of com- 
merce of those days; an inland towMi was not expected to at- 
tain any great importance, as a town situated distant from a 
railroad is not expected to do any gi eat volume of business at 
the present time. But conditions change as time passes, es- 
pecially during the period of settlement in new countries. 
Almost every session of State Legislature changed county 
lines, and carved new counties out of the remains of old 
ones. In a few years efforts were m ide to divide thecounty. 
This divisi5n was bitterly fought by the friends of the old 
town, and was once defeated in the courts, but the attempt 
aroused the people of that part of the county into activity. 
Up to this time court had been held in a log building, V)ut 
the County Court now proceeded to build a substantial brick 
court house. They also put a bridge acros i the river at that 
place, seeking thereby to avoid the complaint that the county 
seat was inconvenient of access to the citizens who resided 
south of the Osage. But tiiese measures did not long delay 
the inevitable change. 

In 1855 the Legislature Hgain divided the county, this time 
on the present lines, naming that part south of the river, 
Vernon county, and leaving Papinsville in Bates, but locat- 
ing the county seat in the center of the county. This left an 
almost new court house on the hands of the County Court, 
which they sold to Philip Zeal, and removed the county se.it 
from Papinsville in 1856-7. 

During the time the county seat was located at Papinsville 
the town grew rapidly and was, for some years, the metrop- ' 
olis of the county. Next to Harmony Mission, the history 
of the early days in Bates County centers around this jDlace, 
which, in fact, was the offspring of the old Mission, and is 
so regarded in the fond recollections of our old settlers. 
Here many of the interesting and exciting events of the early 
times took place. Here the politicians and influential men 
of the community naturally congregated, and the public 




L. R. PURKEY 

was born in McDonough County, 111., October 27, 1862, came 
with his parents to this county when seven years old, locating 
near Burdett, and has ever since resided in the county. His 
early life was spent on the farm and he attended the public 
schools. 

In 1886 he was married to Miss Belle Timmons, who died 
one year after their marriage. In i88g he was again married 
to Miss Nannie Heavilin, she also died soon after their 
marriage. On April i, 1892, he bought a half interest in the 
Adrian Journal, since which time he has been engaged in the 
business. On October 11, 1892, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Laura HoUoway. Mr. Purkey is an active member in the 
United Brethren Church, and is at present superintendent of 
the Sunday School of that denomination in Adrian. 



ELI J. CLINE. 

The subject of this sketch disclaims any pretense as an 
old settler. He was born in the north part of Vernon County, 
March 23, 1880, and moved with his parents to Rich Hill in 
1886, where they resided till 1897. Here he got his education 
and learned the printers art. In 1897 his father, H. Cline, pur- 
chased the Foster Beacon plant, and it was published under the 
name of H. Cline & Son for two years; then the plant was 
removed to Amoret and the paper is continued as the Amoret 
Beacon with Eli as editor. He is the youngest editor in the 
county and probably in the state. H. Cline is the publisher of 
the Beacon but has little to do with conducting the paper. He 
came to Bates County in 1876, moved to Vernon and returned 
to Bates in 1886. He was born in Scotland County, Mo., in 
1850 and was married to Judy E. Drake in 1869. Five children 
are now living — three at home and two married daughters in 
Terre Haute, Ind. 



OF I'.A'I'KS COUNTY. t26 

quostions which came up for consideration intliose days were 
just as momentous, and probably excited greater interest 
among the people of the sparcely settled country, than like 
matters now do. Here occurred the first murder trial ever 
held in the county, and the first and only execution by civil 
authorities. It was the landing place of a large majority of 
the first settlers of the county, and the distributing point for 
the supplies V)rought in for a great many of the early inhab- 
itants. Even after the removal of the county seat it contin- 
ued to prosper until the Civil War brouglit ruin to so many 
of Bates County's people, but from this blow Papinsville 
never recovered her one-time prestige and improtance. 



NORTH-EASTERN BATES. 

While this section was still reserved by tne Government, 
the white men cast many a longing eye on its beautiful prai- 
ries, rich bottom lands and fine forests and, as we have be- 
fore related, a number of the more mercenary had ''squatted" 
on the forbidden territory. When the Indians were removed 
still farther west, and it was known that the land would soon 
be open for settlement, the tide of immigration set in, and 
from that time forward the settlement of the county pro- 
gressed rapidly, and soon the cabin of tlie settler, surround- 
ed by his "clearing" could b? seen in all parts of the 
county, for such it soon became although the limits at first 
did not coincide with the present county boundaries. The 
largest settlement was along the Osage, in the vicinity 
of the old Mission, which place was the temporary seat of 
caunty government. 

And not till the early 4J's were th;?re any other consider- 
able settlements made in Bates Count3\ About this time, 
however, settlers began erecting homes along Deepwater 
Creek, selecting the timber lands, believing them better 
alapted t3 the requirements of the farmer than the prairies 
and in a short time there was a considerable number of peo- 
ple in this p:irt of tlie country, large numbers of them coming 



2( OLD Si;rTLKltS I11S1'(JUV 

from the nearby counties wiiere they had become crowded 
by neighbors settling wifchin ten or tiftejii miles of them. Al- 
tnough as far back as 1880 we find a few settlers occupying 
homes on D^epwater, and in wiiat is now Mingo township 
there were some settlers as early as 1h;>i', but uo town was 
founded until 1815. 



JOHNSTOWN. 



The tii'st store was opened in J()hn.stt)\vn by Dan and Jim 
Johnson. They were not able to secure a post-office until 
about 1819, until which tim3 they had to go to Deep water 
City, in Henry county, for their mail, but aftur the establish- 
ment of a post-office Johnstown made rapid strides toward 
becoming a town of no mean importance for those days. 
Being surrounded by a fertile and productive country, it af- 
forded a place for the Indian trader to exchange his furs for 
more trinkets to barter to the Indians, and, being a consid- 
erable distance from any other settlement of importance, it 
soon was doing more business than any other place in the 
county, at one time having two wholesale houses, handling- 
general merchandise, four or live general stores, tw^o saloons, 
three blacksmith shops, cabinet siiop, mill and harness shop. 

This condition of prosperity continued until the breaking 
out of the border trouijles between Missouri and Kansas, and 
during this time and the Civil War Johstown was almost 
ruined, and then just after the war the building of the Mis- 
souri, Kansas & Texas Railway so near to it, rendered it 
impossible that it siiould ever again attain its old time prom- 
inence. 



OF BATES COUNTY. •J'i 



OTHER SETTLEMENTS. 

Prom 1830 to 1840 settlements were being rapidly made in 
various other parts of the county, a post-office being es- 
tablished at Pleasant Gap perhaps as early as 1842, and set- 
tlements made in Lone Oak, Hudson, Deer Creek, New Home, 
Walnut and Charlotte townships about this time also. 

It appears that no settlements were made in other parts of 
the county prior to 1810, but during the forties numerous 
settlements sprang up with great rapidity in all parts of the 
county, there being a great influx of liomeseekers from the 
eastern states and tliis caused the founding of a number of 
towns in various parts of tlie county, only a few of which, 
however, reached any importance before the war. Two of 
these have V)een briefly mentioned, and we will now try to 
record something of the history of the others. 



WEST POINT. 



West Point — founded in 1850. Situated in the north-west 
part of Bates County, is in West Point township, about one 
mile from the state line. The first store was opened by Ar- 
nett & Adams, and as they had located on the old cattle trail 
from Texas and the Southwest, over which thousands of 
head of cattle were driven annually to the market at Kansas 
City, it soon became an important trading point, and a place 
for "outfitting" by parties going into the Southwest — which 
rapidly pushed it forward to the position of metrojjolis of 
Bates County. And another thing which was of material 
benefit in its development, aside from the local business, was 
that the Pottowatomie Indians here received their periodical 
allowance of rations, etc., from the government agents, and 
made this, as a matter of course, their trading point. 



^9 o\A) .sUttLkus" uistouv 

In those days the great, clumsy, creaking freighting wag- 
on, drawn by 8 to 10 yoke of oxen, crept slowly over the 
winding prairie trail, bearing its heavy load of freight from 
the river landing at Kansas City. The "Noble Red Man." 
dressed in his wolf-skin vest, traded his government rations 
for "fire-water" or "baccy." The picturesque squaw, in her 
abreviated gown of many colors, peddled her liand-woven 
baskets and bead- work trinkets, while the pappojse, dressed 
in "most any old thing" — and not much of that — turned his 
big, inquiring eyes on the many wonderful works of tlie 
"pale face" but was as dumb as was the ox which pulled the 
groaning wagon. The trapper and hunter brought in their 
furs and traded them for provisions, powder, etc. And the 
homesteaders f r mi many miles arounJ b:)ught their oUppUes 
here. 

In 1845 the post-office was estaljlished and mails were secur- 
ed two or tiiree times per week. A sc'.iool house was erect- 
ed, by public subscription, in '52, and the first teacher was a 
Mr. Kirkpatrick. The tow^n had a large hotel and several 
well stocked stores. In '56 the West Point Banner was es- 
tablished, with T. H. Sterens editor. This was a weekly pa- 
per, w^ell filled witli advertisements and gained a circulation 
over a large scope of territory. 

West Point was a typical border town, and experienced 
some lively scenes and incidents. A crowd made up of 
the average freighter, trapper and reservation Indian, 
made a combination that was hard to beat in raising tlie crop 
which Mrs. Lease advised the Kansas farmers to pay more 
attention to. Government troops were, at a number of 
times, stationed there to preserve order on tlie frontier. 

The town was at its heiglit when the border troubles, over 
the Slavery question, broke out, and from its position, just 
over on tlie Missouri side of the line, w\as made a gathering 
place, or sort of head-quarters for the pro-slavery men. 
There were turbulent times in West Point those days, but 
the town continued to grow until the breaking out of the 
war although several times raided by the Free State men, 
from over the Kansas line, and its citizens were kept in con- 
stant fear of the "torch," a mode of retaliation which be- 
came very popular a short time thereafter. 

The West Point of history existed only from 1850 to 1860, 




W. O. ATKESON. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Putnam County, West Virginia, 
in the valley of the Great Kanawha river, and was reared to manhood there. 
He is the son of a farmer and had the usual experiences and passed through 
the ordinary vicissitudes of farm life in that country. He attended the 
country schools and quit the public schools a pupil of the Buffalo 
Academy. At the beginning of the college year of i873-'74 he entered 
the Kentucky University at Lexington, matriculating in the Agricultural 
and Mechanical College and pursued a special course in mathematics, 
literature, history, book keeping and military training, with recitations in 
chemistry. He remained in the university only about 7 months, and on 
account of sickness returned home, and went to work on the farm. The 
following winter he taught school in Mason County, W. Va., and with the 
money so earned he matriculated in the West Virginia State Normal 
School at Fairmont, and graduated from the same in June, 1875. The 
following winter he was principal of the New Haven graded schools, and 
in the spring of 1876 he became one of the editors and proprietors of the 
West Virginia Monitor, published at Point Pleasant, W. Va. After a few 
months he disposed of his interest in the paper and returned to the farm 
and began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in Winfield, 
W. Va. , in 1877. In 1878 he removed to Council Grove, Kansas, where he 
resided and practiced his profession imtil he came to Rich Hill in 1882. 
He was elected justice of the peace in Council Grove, Kansas, and served 
out a term of two years. In October, 18S9, he removed with his family to 
Butler, where he has since resided. He was elected prosecuting attorney 
of Bates Countv in 1890 and served a term of two years successfully. In 
1892 he was a candidate for circuit judge on the People's Party ticket 
and was also nominated by electors, and carried three counties out of the 
four composing the 29th judicial circuit, but was defeated. The election 
of his opponent was contested, the opinion of the Supreme Court being 
recorded in 115 Mo. Repts. He became the editor of the Butler Free Press 
in 1894 and has been with the paper ever since, and is regarded by friend 
and foe as a clear, decisive writer, a fair and honorable editor, and a good 
citizen. He lives. in a comfortable cottage home with a family of five 
children, having recently lost his wife whom he married in Barton County, 
Mo,, in 18S4. He was a member of the first national committee of the 
People's Party and is now a member of the state committee. In 1894 the 
Kentucky Central Normal School confered on him the honorary degree of 
A. M. He is a man of varied culture, firm convictions and great tenacity 
of purpose; and his home has always been an open door to all who wish 
to come and share its modest and cordial hospitality. 



OF UATKS COUKTY. ?>(■) 

but we leave it at the close of Period I, a flourishing frontier 
town. 



BUTLER. 

The first settler on the site now occupied by Butler was 
one John C. Kennett, who came there probably about 1845, 
at any rate, he was well established there in 1849, and he 
was the first man to establish any kind of mercantile busi- 
ness at the place, he having put in a stock, principally 
whiskey and tobacco, for which he found a ready and profit- 
able sale, to the "forty-niners" who were about this time 
rUshing in every conceivable manner, to the far West for the 
purpose of acquiring possession of their share of the "root 
of all evil," the glittering gold of California. He seems to 
have prospered here for a time but finally falling a victim to 
the "gold fever" himself he sold his busine.ss to John W. 
Montgomery, the second settler, and went to California in 
search of greater wealth in 1853. J. S. Wilkins and John 
E. Morgan next came and settled here in 1854, and the Leg- 
islature having passed an act in 1851, which ordered the 
County Court to remove the county seat from Papins^dlle 
to such other place as the people of the county should desig- 
nate by a petition bearing the names of three-fifths of the 
qualified voters of Bates County, and this question of remov- 
al now being agitated, Morgan and some others conceiving 
the idea that the land on which they were living being near 
the center of the county and well suited by nature for a town- 
site would stand a good chance of securing the county seat, 
proceded, in 1854, to lay out a town, which they named But- 
ler, and as an additional inducement to secure the county 
seat, Morgan, Wilkins and Montgomery offered to donate to 
the county a tract or tracts of land which agregated 55 acres, 
which otfer was soon accepted. But notwithstanding their 
laying out a town and making this offer, it seems no other 
business was attracted to Butler until after the location of 
the county seat had been fixed here in 1856 by commission- 
ers, W. S. Sutherland and Achilles Easley, who were ap- 



31 OLD «ETTLEUS" HKSTOKY 

pointed by the Legislature for this jmrjiose in accordance 
with the petition of the people. 

The tirst business house, devoted to business, was erected 
by Couch & Smith in the spring of 1856, in which they 
conducted a general merchandising business. They came 
here from Platte county, Missouri, but were originally from 
Kentucky. The next business house was put up by McComb 
& Robison in the fall of 1856, their business being general 
merchandise also. McComb previously lived in Deepwater 
township, this county, and Robison in Platte county, this 
state. Dr. Joseph S. Hamsbrough was the first physician to 
locate here for the practice of medicine. 

The first school was taught in a building erected for both 
scliool and church purposes in 1856. The teacher was Mrs. 
Martha Morgan, wife of Jolm E. Morgan. This building 
was used by all denominations for their services, people 
coming for fifteen or twenty miles to attend church, as the 
church houses were very scarce at that time. 

The first hotel or tavern was kept by John E. Morgan, 
who was succeeded by Thomas Rice. This hotel was a log 
house, and the management were able to supply man and 
beast with the plain fare of the time, but without those lux- 
uries and emoellishments which our modern education lead 
us to expect and demand, and which our pioneer progenitors 
tell us is the cause of the physical and moral degeneration of 
the race and which will ultimately be tJie sure cause of our 
complete undoing. 

When the county seat was removed from Papinsville to 
Butler, the latter place had no court house or other suitable 
place for the sessions of the courts to be held in and the first 
Grand Jury was compelled, for want of a i^etter place, to 
meet out in the prairie on a knoll, at which place they re- 
mained in session one day, but no business coming before 
them, they then adjourned. These conditions rendered it 
necessary to build a court house, and tiiey decided that it 
should be a brick building two stories high. The contract 
for building was let to William Hurt and a Mr. Fritzpatrick. 
The brick used in the building were burned at Butler, where 
the Lake Park now is, and the building begun in 1857, and 
completed in 1858, but was destroyed by fire during the war. 
The building cost about $9,000, and was a credit to the pro- 




LEWIS W. nOORE. 

The subject of this sketch enjoys the distinction of being 
the youngest and most successful editor of a country paper in 
Missouri, having commenced his career as proprietor and editor 
oi the Hume Telephone at the age of i6 years. Mr. Moore is 
a native Missourian. From the extreme tenderness of his youth 
he bears the euphonious title of "The Kid," but his sober and 
intelligent editorials make the appellation respectable. The 
motto at the head of his paper, viz: "A live, independent 
journal devoted to spreading the news and earning a few 
dollars in cash," embodies the warp and woof of his life's 
effort. Through manly foresight, judicious advertising and 
a ready pen, his paper has been rescued from the quicksands 
of disaster, while in other hands, and placed among the sub- 
stantial newspapers of the state. 

His quaint aphorisms, unique questions, scientific deduc- 
tions, sarcastic and cutting paragraphs are now being copied 
by leading papers everywhere. In addition to the business of 
his own ofifice he does special or detail work for several well 
known eastern publishing houses. 

In a social way Mr. Moore is something of a curiosity. 
Sedate as a preacher and comical as a clown, never forgetting 
the maxim that evil communications corrupt good manners. 
He is widely known and pleasantly spoken of by a respectable 
number of the fraternity, and nothing but a misfortune will 
prevent him from reaching the peaks longed for by the journal- 
istic world. Dictated: Steno. No. 499. 



OF 15. \ IKS COL'NTY. o'J 

<iTi>.ss and enterprise of tli(> people of Bates County at that 
time. luiviu<j;- so many inconveniences and difficulties witii 
wliici) to contend. Nothing but native lumber, native clay 
and native stone as material for building, without going an 
unreasonable distance for them and then bringing them 
b.ick by the laborious and tedious process of freighting by 
ox wagons. But the native push and indomnitable will of 
those people who have made Bates County what it is to-day, 
overcame all difficulties, surmounted all obstacles, and their 
efforts were finally crowned with a degree of success, in the 
prosperity and progress of the county, which in their wild- 
est imaginings tliey had never dreamed of attaining so soon. 
Aftei" the erection of the courthouse Butler grew rapidly un- 
til attiie breaking out of hostilities between the states it was 
a considei'able town, for its age, but here we will leave it 
for a time, and folhjw its history througli the war and later 
in tile common liistorv of all tlie towns in the countv. 



I'.ORDEK TUOUULES. 

The Missouri Compr(miise. as the act which admitted this 
state was calh^l, j^rovided that Slavery should be prohibited 
north of 86 degrees 30 min. north latitude, but when the ter- 
ritory of Kansas applied for admission, the Slavery men de- 
termined to force her in as a slave state. The antagonists 
of Slavery were just as determined that it should go in as a 
free state. Both sides rushed in men in their endeavoi- to 
control elections and carry their respective points. In this 
manner a great many reckless characters were gathered 
along the Kansas — Missouri line, and as a result lawlessness 
became rampant. These troubles commenced in 1855 and '6. 
and while the boni-fide settlers of Bates County took no part 
in them, and perhaps were not very deeply interested at first, 
regarding the matter as one in which they had no part, 
they were too close to the scene of action to escape the ef- 
fects of these disturbing conditions for any considerable time. 
The leader of the Free State men was John Brown, who for 
a time made his headquarters just over the Kansas Wno from 



'S3 OLD tiETTLKItS JllSTOUY 

Bates County, tlio farm generally known as the '-Old John 
Brown Place," lying at the foot of a mound sixteen miles 
west of Butler, and adjoining the Missouri line. Brown rec- 
ognized no law in his operations against tlie institution of 
Slavery, and no more did the leaders of the opi^osition in 
their attempts to crush him and his followers, and the strug- 
gle soon took the form of plunder, arson and murder. While 
the greater part of this sanguinary conflict was waged on 
Kansas soil, the settlers on this side of the line suffered se- 
verely from raids by the Free State men. Small parties 
came over the border and thieatened, and in some instances 
committed serious depredations. In May, 1858, a meeting 
was called at the place of Jerry Jackson, on Mulberry Creek, 
to consider the difficulties and try to find some means by 
which those troubles might be settled, or the settlers and 
their property protected. The pred(jminant sentiment at 
this meeting whicli was attended by about 20U people, was 
favorable to an attempt at a peacable settlement of the troub- 
les, but the radical element under lead of one, Hamilton, re- 
fused to join in this decision and adjourned to tJie home of 
Mc Henry, where plans were laid for a raid on the Free State 
settlers over the Kansas line. Tliis raid they carried out, 
and after gathering up about one dozen of tliese men, open- 
ed lire on them, killing five and wounding five more. The 
only resistance the party encountered was at the John Brown 
place, where Eli Snyder, a blacksmith, claims to have killed 
two of the party and wounded the leader, Hamilton, and es- 
caped from the band. The men who took part in thi.s raid 
were not settlers of Bates County, but were the people who 
had gathered, as the crows do around a carrioji, wliere they 
could indulge in lawless practices to tlie content of their vic- 
ious natures. 

The Free State men vowed vengence on the perpetrators 
of this outrage, and several bands crossed the border in 
search of Hamilton and his followers. The settlers, especial- 
ly in the western part of the county, were kept in constant 
terror of retaliatory measures, and even Butler, the county 
seat, was expecting a raid by the Free State men. John 
Brown, himself, headed several raiding parties into this 
state and carried away a number of slaves, killed one, pos- 
sibly more, owners, and also took other property. 



OF liATKS COUNTY. :-<4 

Both the State and National Governments declared Brown 
an outlaw, and offered rewards for his apprehension. Brown, 
as a return of the compliment, offered a reward for the Gov- 
ernor of Missouri, and the President. Gathering up the 
slaves he had liberated, Brown took them by way of Nebras- 
ka and Iowa, to Canada, and the "border" knew him no 
more. 

Hamilton escaped the Free State men at that time, but ac- 
cording to Eli Snyder, in an account published about two 
years since, he was killed, in the Indian Nation, June 17, 
1877, (supposedly by Snyder) thus at last suffering death at 
tiie hands of one of his intended victims. 

These raids, as a matter of course, created great excite- 
ment along the border, and the feeling between the partisans 
of the Free State leaders and tlie Pro slavery men ran high. 

In 1858 and '9 began an exodus from the western part of 
the county, which movement althougii «it first it was not 
general enough to produce any great change, gathered mo- 
mentuui as the situation continued to grow darker. As one 
of our Old Settlers expressed it: "It seemed like a great 
black cloud was hanging over the country, and everyone was 
waiting, breathlessly, for the breaking out of the storm." 

Every man began to suspect his neighbor, and no one 
knew just who his friends or enemies were. At the close of 
1859 there came a lull in the border troubles, but it was only 
the calm before the storm, tlie prelude to the great Civil 
War. 



35 OlA) .SKTTI.KUs" msTOKV 



PIONEER LIFE. 

We have briefly sketched tlie ]>i()iieer peried in our county's 
history, and a short description of tlie general find social con- 
ditions prevalent at that time may not be out of place. 

The earliest settlers, being widely separated, there was 
very little in their lives except the daily contact wiUi nature 
in its pure and unadulterated forms, and while this life may 
have been solitary and monotonous, it was not without its 
compensations, as is shown by the testimony' of the few re- 
maining pioneers. They grew to love their somber- forests, 
and their gorgeously beautiful prairies, and they yet mourn 
their desecration by the ever increasing influx of busy, 
bustling humanity. Later on as more and moi'e homeseek- 
ers were drawn here, the people naturally gathered in settle- 
ments, and enjoyed the blessings of social intercourse. The 
first settlements were confined exclusively to the vicinity of 
the numerous water courses, where they secured the mater- 
ial for their homes from the forests which lined, the streams. 
The houses were uniformly built of logs, and the majority 
were small and rude, but some of the more pretentious were 
made from nicely hewn timbers, which w'ere neatly and care- 
fully put together, forming substantial and comely struct- 
ures. Each house had one or more large chimneys, and op- 
en fire-places which were, in the winter season, piled high 
with huge sticks, or logs of w^ood, and the whole building 
was heated and lighted by the cheerful blaze. 

The fields, consisting for the greater part of clearings in 
the timber land, were fenced by means of rails split from the 
timber which grew on the land. The crops consisted prin- 
cipally of corn, wheat and oats, and the common garden 
produce. They also raised cotton and hemp, and each fam- 
ily kept a few sheep, and from these various sources 
the loom, which supplied the family with wearing aj^parel, 
Was fed. They made but little attempt to raise more than 
was sufficient for their needs, as they w^ere too distant from 
market, and transportation too laborious and costly to dis- 




SILAS WRIGHT DOOLEY 

was born in Washington City, D. C, on the 31st of December, 1843. ^^'^ 
father, M. T. DooIey,came to this country from Ireland when quite a young 
man and mairied Miss E. Hannali a native of Wasliington. The subject of 
this sketch received his early education in the public scliools of that City, 
then attended Gonzaga College, a branch of Georgetown College, finisiiing 
his education at V^illa Nova College just west of Phila., Pa. At the age of 
eighteen he began work as clerk in a retail drug store and after the war be- 
came a clerk in the Quartermasters Dept. Seeing no other future for him 
in his native place than clerkship in retail stores or clerking for the govern- 
ment and being am.bitious for something higher, he concluded to come 
west and landed in St. Louis on the 3rd of May, 1S68, a complete stranger 
with only a tew dollars in his pocket. .Situations were few and applicants 
very numerous at that time, but after repeated efforts he succeeded in get- 
ting a position as clerk in a Title Abstract ofiice, in which occupation he 
continued until he graduated from the St Louis Law School in 1871, work- 
ing during the day and studying at night, although he had passed the 
examination before the Circuit Court and been admitted to the bar after 
his first year at tlie Law School. After graduating he hung out his shingle 
as a lawyer, doing work as abstracting until he had built up practice suf- 
ficient to give him a living and continued in the practice of his profession 
in St. Louis until he came to Bates County in 1883; it was in St. Louis that 
he met and married Miss Germaine E. Duclos, six children now living and 
three dead being the result of that imion. About the time of his arrival in 
St. Louis the movement for the enfranchisment of the Southern sympathiz- 
ers was assuming proportions and being a democrat he entered into it with 
his usual energy and enthusiasm, contributing as far as lay in his power to 
removal of the test oath and other iniquities of the Drake Constitution and 
at all times while there assisted in the success of his part}', giving to it his 
means, time and abilities. Having quite a large and growing family he 
concluded to seek a smaller place in order to give them more of his person- 
al care and attention. 

Rich Hill had been spoken of very favorable by his neighbor, who was the 



engineer in constructing the Waterworks at that place and he concUided to 
move, arriving at that city on August 3rd, 18S3, with his family, residing 
there untill December, 1S9S, when lie removed to Butler, Mo, where he is 
now engaged in the practice of his profession. As a lawyer Mr. Dooley is 
well up to the front, having no superior at this Bar in forensic ability, being 
a ready, forceful speaker and has a knack of presenting his case in it's best 
light to the Court or Jury ; he is enthusiastic in his profession atid never 
so well pleased as when looking up some knotty problem. In politics he 
is an ardent democrat and in that, as in everything else, he is intense and 
enthusiastic. A man of strong convictions he is at all time fearless and 
outspoken. There are better lawyers than Mr. Dooley but none more 
honorable and courteous in its practice or more loyal to his friends, his cli- 
ents or party. He is a devoted husband and father, his wife a loving and 
estimable lady and his children an honor to any communit3', all being 
Christians in every sense of the word. 

As a man and citizen he enjoys the confidence and respect of all who 
know him. Of a kindly, generous nature, he makes friends and no 
enemies. Still in the prime of life, the future is full of promise to him and 
his excellent family. 



OF HATKS COUNTY. 80 

pose of any surplus to advjuitage. They raised many lio<i,s. 
wiiicii were killed and the meat cured, and this they hauled 
away, some to points on the Osage where the river boats 
took it to more distant markets; some was taken to points on 
the Missouri River, and there traded for those supplies which 
could not be raised on tiio settlers' clearings. Their corn 
and wheat, they took to the little gristmills which were soon 
located at convenient points, and it was there converted into 
bread-stuffs. Going to mill and awaiting their turn for the 
grist was one of the diversions of pioneer life. 

As soon as a settlement, consisting of six to a dozen fami- 
lies, was f(jrmed. educational and religious matters received 
attention. The men would meet and proceed to erect a 
primitive log building, which would be used for school pur- 
poses on week days and as a church on Sundays. 

At the time (1856) the county seat was removed to Butler, 
only a small portion of the land of the county had been home- 
steaded, but within the next four years it was practically 
settled, and the county contained a population of between 
six and seven thousand people, who were fairly prosperous 
and contented. Many had by this time made extensive im- 
provements on their farms, built more pretentious residences, 
brought greater areas under cultivation and gave more at- 
tention to the raising of live stock. The county was now a 
busy, prosperous commoii wealth where we leave it to turn 
to a different scene. 



OLD SETTLKKS UISTOUY 



PERIOD II— PROM kseo TO 1865. 

A storij of sori'oir, of icrior, iind of r(trogressioii . Bales 
Count ij is aire/jf Inj t/ie fiercf. ron/iict of Ciril W'dTfdve— Su- 
tlers ore driven, from, their Ihomes, I heir huildiii gs <n e min- 
ed and their fields return, io I heir ivitd state, awhile cities 
and towns fail victims to t/ie torch. 

In order that the situation may be tlioroughly understood, 
we are obhged to note a few important occurrences connected 
with state affairs whicli were happening in the early days of 
this period. 

During the presidential campaign of 1860, threats were 
freely indulged in to the effect that the Slave states would 
secede from the Uiiion in the event of Lincoln's election, and 
when the expected happened, they proceeded to carry their 
threats into execution. While Missouri was a Slave stale, 
but comparatively few of its citizens were slave owners. 
TIvaX class, however, endeavored to force the state to join 
her Southern sisters in their desperate course. Tiie major- 
ity of her peoj^le, however, were opposed to extreme meas- 
ures. The State Assembly met in January and, finding the 
members at variance on the question, concluded to refer it 
back to the people. They accordingly passed an act creat- 
ing a convention to be composed of delegates selected by the 
people, and this convention was empowered to decide as to 
the course to be pursued. This body, in session at St. Louis, 
about March 10, 1861, passed a resolution in favor of main- 
taining the Union, but was not in favor of war if the South- 
ern states persisted in their action. This, however, was a 
position which could not be maintained. Governor Jackson 
raised an army of state troops to defend the state from ag- 
gressions from the Federal Government. This action 
brought him into conflict with the Union forces, and the 
state troops were defeated at Boonville, June 17, 1861. 

The convention again met, this time at Jefferson City, and 
was controled by the Union men, who deposed Governor 



OF 15ATKS COUNTY. iiS 

Jackson and selected H. R. Gamble to fill that position. 
From this time, the State Government was in the control of 
the Union men. 

In this county the campaign of 1860 was one in which 
much bitterness was shown. The border troubles culminat- 
ing in the Hamilton and Brown raids, left the lines between 
the Free State and Slavery jjarties rigidly drawn. As in 
the state, the Southern sympathizers were largely in the ma- 
jority in this county. The reckless element, which had pre- 
viously taken jjart in the border raids, was active in stirring 
up animosity, and many threats were indulged in against 
those believed to be in sympathy with the Abolitionists and 
us to what might be expected by those who tried to vote for 
Lincoln at the November election. The anti -slavery men 
very discretely remained quiet, and very few of them at- 
tempted to exercise their right of franchise. After the elec- 
tion the names of those persons who w^ere alleged to have 
cast the Lincoln ballots were posted at various public places 
over the county, and it was broadly intimated that it w^ould 
be wisdom on their part to "make themselves scarce." 

When the result of the election became know^n, it w^as gen- 
erally thought that the President elect, Lincoln, would not 
be recognized by the Southern states, and all were anxious- 
ly w^atching to see what course our state would take. 

About the first action bearing on the question which was 
taken in this county was the organization of "Cummings 
Battalion," which was composed of several hundred South- 
ern sympathizers who were to guard the state border, and 
reader whatever aid to the Southern cause it lay in their 
power to accomplish, to keep watch on and report the move- 
ments of the Union men, etc. This was a secret organiza- 
tion and it was never known just how many members it con- 
tained, or who those members were. It was one of the 
moves of the Southern men in their attemjjts to force the 
state to join the Seceders. 

The Union sympathizers were overawed and kept quiet. 
If they showed too much activity they would receive a warn- 
ing, and if this was not heeded, a night call would follow. 

General Price was in command of the Confederate forces 
in this section and in the spring of 1861 a portion of his army 
was stationed at Papinsville. At this time a number of com- 



:5li OLD .SKTTLKlJ.s" JlhSTOUY 

pauies were recruited in the county and joined his army. 
The Southern element was dominant here until General 
Lane, with his Kansas troops, swept through the county in 
the fall of '61. Then all who had taken a consioicuous part 
in upholding the Confederacy were compelled to leave. 
Some joined the regular service, others "took to the brush." 
From this time forward the county was repeatedly raided by 
the troops of the one side or the other. When the Confed- 
erate troops came in the Southern sympathizers would lead 
them to the homes of their neighbors who favored the North. 
■Then when the Union forces came in the Southern sympa- 
thizers, in their turn, would suffer. Neither life nor proper- 
ty was safe. In fact, property suffered, wliether the invad- 
ing forces were friend or foe. If a settler was a sympathizer 
of the raiding party they would "borrow" his property "for 
the good of the cause." If of the opposite persuasion, they 
would confiscate it. The result was the same in either case; 
the property was never returned or accounted for. 

When Gen. Lane brought his Kansas troops over to join 
in the campaign against the Southern forces under Gen. 
Price, a portion of his army, on its return to Ft. Leaven- 
worth, passed through Bates County enrouto. They enter- 
ed the county at Papinsville, and while at that place burned 
the old court liouse building. One troop, under command of 
Capt. Bell, approached Butler from the south-west; another, 
under the lead of Maj. Montgomery, came from Papinsville. 
They had planned to join forces at the Ramey place, south 
of Butler. Bell's troop arrived at the appointed place some 
time in advance of the otirers and, instead of waiting for their 
comrades, went out to the north-west of Butler, on Bones 
Fork, in search of some parties who had made themselves 
particularly obnoxious to the Union men, and who, on the 
approach of the soldiers, had fled from Butler and were in 
hiding. One of these w^as a man named Lock, who had, in 
'60, killed an Indian at West Point. He had been placed in 
jail at Butler, but had soon afterwards been released. 

Montgomery afterwards came to the Ramey place, and not 
finding the other troops there, sent a party of five into But- 
ler to find out what had become of Capt. Bell and his force. 
This party was captured by the Southern men, now common- 
ly designated "bushwhac ers" in distinction from the regu- 



OF HATKS COUNTY. 40 

lar Soiitl.crii soldiers. Not hearing from this scouting ] arty 
MontgOLaory followed with his entire troop, and took pos- 
session of the town, the Southern men fleeing as he advanc- 
(>d. Tins was in the last days of December, 1801. The town 
does not appear to have suffered greatly, but all the county 
records were taken and carried away to Ft. Leavenworth. 

Affairs were now in a chaotic condition, such civil officers 
as remained were entirely powerless to cope with the con- 
ditions and enforce any sort of order. Property rights were 
disregarded, and the general rule with many was to take 
what they could get. Tiie raiding back and forth over the 
line between Kansas and Missouri was started afresh when 
the war brolv3 oat, and the territory on each side of the line 
was strippi'd of ex'erything movable. In fact, stories of 
houses being bodily moved from one state into another, are 
often told. West Point fell an early victim to the Kansas 
raiders, and the town was almost wiped out of existence. 
Its stores were looted and houses burned. The office of the 
West Point Bannei'. which had incurred the enmity of the 
Kansas men, was looted and type and machinery scattered 
and destroyed. Tlie other towns of the county suffered, but 
to a less extent. 

Lane's troops burnt the greater part of Pai)insville in the 
fall of '61, and the Osage River bridge was destroyed by the 
state troops in order to prevent Price from entering the 
county witli his army. 

In the spring of 18611 a troop of the 1st Iowa Calvary, com- 
manded by Col. Warren, was stationed at Butler and remain- 
ed through the summer. They preserved order in the town, 
but theii- presence had little effect on the bushwhacking ele- 
ment which continued its operations throughout the county. 
The troops would occasionally raid a camj^, but the men 
would scatter, only to return as soon as the soldiers left. 

At one time, while a detachment of Warren's troops was 
foraging, on the Miami, it was way-laid and fired on by 
bushwhackers, and several were killed. 

When General Price made his raid through Ilenrj- and ad- 
joining counties, Col. Warren was ordered to join in pursuit 
of the Southern army. About this time a state militia — 
Home Guards, they were called — was organized. Captain 
J. B. Newberry was in command of one of those companies 



4:1 OLD t^KTTLKUs" lllSTOUV 

which first had its headquarters at Chiiton, tlien German - 
town. This company was ordered to Butler in the fall of 
18(3^, and remained until the county was depopulated. 

In December 1862, a man by name of Slater, was executed 
at iiutler, by command of Major White. Slater was not a 
Bates county man, but had been broug-ht here ijy White's 
troops and sentenced by court-martial. 

While this section was nominally under the control of the 
Union forces, it was entirely be^^ond the power of the few 
troops to preserve order outside of such places as garrisons 
could be maintained. 

The border counties, in both Missouri and Kansas, liad ac- 
quired a reputation for lawlessness that was far from en- 
couraging to the military authorities, and heroic measures 
were decided upon. 

Brig. Gen. Ewing, commanding tliis military division, with 
headquarters at Kansas C^ty, issued the following order: 



EWING ORDER. 

Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 25, 1863. 
General Order, No. 11. 

First: All persons being in Cass, Jackson and Bates coun- 
ties, Missouri, and in that pai't of Vernon included in this 
district, except those living within one mile of the limits of 
Independence. Hickman's Mill, Pleasant Hill, and Harrison- 
ville, and except those in that part of Kaw township, Jack- 
son county, nortii of Brush Creek and west of Big Blue, 
embracing Kansas City and Westport, are hereby ordered 
to remove from their present places of residence within lo 
days from the date thereof. 

Those who, within that time, establisli their loyalty to the 
satisfaction of the commanding officer of the military station 
nearest their present places of residence, will receive from 
him certificates stating the fact of their loyalty, and the 
names of the witnesses by whom it can be shown. All who 
receive such certificates will be permitted to remove to any 



OF HATKS COUNTY. 42 

military station in this district, or to any part of the state of 
Kansas, except the counties on the eastern borders of the 
state, all others shall remove out of this district. Officers 
commanding companies and detachments serving in the 
counties named, will see that this paragraph is promptly" 
obeyed. 

Second: All grain and hay in the field, or under shelter, 
in the district from which the inhabitants are required to 
remove, within reach of military stations, after the 9th day 
of September next, will be taken to such stations and turned 
over to the proper officer there, and report of the amount so 
turned over made to district headquarters, specifing the 
names of all loyal owners, and the amount of such produce 
taken from them. All grain and hay found in such districts 
after the 9th day of September next, not convenient to sucii 
stations will be destroyed. 

By order of Brig. Gen. Ewing. 

H. Hannahs, Adjutant. 



As will be noticed from its M'ordJng, this order included 
Bates County entire, not even a military station being reserv- 
ed. Bates wiis the only county which was entirely depopu- 
lated. Those who had braved the many dangei's in their at- 
tempts to preserve their homes from total rui7i, were now 
compelled to leave all and seek homes among strangers. 
The order appeared harsh and unjust to many, but it was 
enacted as a military necessity, and undoubtedly saved many 
lives, as robbery and murder would iiave continued uncheck- 
ed until the close of the war. 

Therefore, there was no disputing the order as the Military 
was the supreme authority and there was no appeai from its 
decree. T'he people hastily gathered up what few personal 
effects they had V)een able to save from the raiders, pressed 
into service every conceivable sort of conveyance, many of 
them hardly knowing which way to turn. Some w^ent into 
nearby counties where they made some sort of temporary 
homes. Some went to Kansas, and not all of them were 



■i3 OLD SKil'LlOlls' lll,sT;)liV 

able to get as far ai the order decreed tliat they should go. 
Sotne sought iuid found new homes, and never returned to 
Bates County. 

As a result of tlie Ewing Order Bates County once again 
became a tenantless wilderness. Fires raged, unchecked, 
through prairie, wood and overgrown tieid. Fences, build- 
ings, improvements of all kinds were swept away. Where, 
only three years previous, had been a nourishing common- 
wealth, composed of six thousand people, now roamed the 
savage wolf and half starved dog, and perchance, theJiunted 
outlaw, who sougiit refuge in the forbidden territory. 

But the iiistory of the county, from tihs time until the close 
of the war, is a blank. A few of her offiL'ials aiid citizens 
attempted to keep up a show of county govei'nment, and 
Germantown, just over the Henry county line, was. made a 
sort of temporary headquarters. In the fall of 1864, a few 
Bates County citizens, under protection of troops stationed 
at Germantown, came over into Bates, met at Johnstown, and 
went through the form of electing county oliticials. The 
County Court endeavored to preserve its organization, but 
as a matter of fact, could transact n'o business. There w^as 
no court sessions, no real estate transfers, no records, and 
no taxes could be assessed or collected. As far as records 
or legal proceedings are concerned, there Vx^as no such or- 
ganization of Bates County from September, 1863 to the close 
of the war. 




J. C. CLARK. 

J. C. Clark was born in Christian county, Kentucky, February 28th, 
1843. He comes of that hardy pioneer stock whose rugged honesty, men- 
tal stamina and strength of character has made firm the foundation of the 
matchless citizenship'of the West. His fatiier, Dr. J. H. Clark, a physi- 
cian of the old school and one of the most respected and influential citizens 
of his state, early moved with his family to the West, and became one of 
the first settlers of Southern Illinois, building his log house in Christian 
county, then an uninhabited wilderness. There and in Texas the subject ot 
this sketch spent his boyhood upon the farm, enduring the hardships and 
encountering the difficulties common to his time and situation. He came 
to Missouri in his early twenties, and in 186S was married to Miss Mallissa 
Myers of Otterville, in Cooper county, where he was then living. Early in 
the winter of 1869 he came to Bates county and settled at Butler, then a 
mere hamlet. With no capital save scrupulous honesty, industry, sincerity 
and integrity which have characterized his whole life, he cast his lot here, 
and soon won that esteem and popularity which he has retained to this 
day. In 1876 he was elected Sheriff of the county by a sweeping majority. 
His administration was a popular one, and at the end of his first term he 
was re-elected for a second term by an increased majority. While serving 
his second term he was appointed collector. At the close of his term in 
that office he was tendered the cashiership of the Bates County ^:ational. 
(now the Bates County) Bank, which position he is still filling. This will 
be his twentieth year in this important position of trust and responsibility, 
and the steady growth an J increasing strength and patronage of that insti- 
tution with which he has been so long identified, is a monument to his 
integrity, character and financial ability. He has two sons, Harvey C. , pres- 
ent Prosecuting Attorney of the county, and Claud L., assistant Attorney 
General of thestate. who lives in Jefferson City. In politics, like his 
father and grandfather before him, he is a democrat, and has always been 
prominent in party affairs. His universal popularity among the masses of 
the people has always been great. Perhaps no man who has ever lived in 
the county has known so many of its people by name, and withal has had 
the friendship and esteem of all of them as has the subject of this sketch. 



OK 1{atp:s county. 44 



PERIOD III— PROM 1865 TO 1870. 

RECUPERATION. 

At the close of the war hi 1865, Bates County presented to 
the chance traveler who was forced by circumstances to pass 
through the barren and deserted country, once populous and 
nourishing", now all but utterly ruined and tenantless, a pic- 
ture of the most utter desolation. Perhaps no other part of 
tlie United States was so entirely and completely stripped of 
all improvements and material necessary for the subsistence 
of man or beast as Bates Count}', not even excepting the Shen- 
andoah valley in Virginia, for tiie crow had long since de- 
parted from Bates" borders in disgust at not being able to 
find sufficient pro\'isions to carry witli him in his journey 
across the country. Nothing to disturb the vast solitudes 
except an occasional body of troops wlio might for some rea- 
son be compelled to pass through here, or an outlaw seek- 
ing to hide himself where there were no officers and no civil 
laws to fear. 

The recuperative powers of Bates County's j^eople togeth- 
er with tiie unlimited variety of lier natural resources could 
not have been more grandly or conclusively demonstrated 
than by the rapidity with which the county recovered from 
tliis terrible and almost fatal blow to her development. At 
tlie close of hostilities the county could boast only about 
three school houses in its territory and tliey were in a badly 
dilapidated condition. Along the eastern border tiiere were 
some houses left standing and a few families living in tliem, 
but the only signs of past habitation in a large portion of the 
county was an occasional lonely ciiimney found standing to 
mark the spot where once had been a liappy liome, Vjut now 
deserted and desolate. 

In Butler, which before tlie war was a beautiful little vil- 
lage, there was now left tliree or four cabins, the remainder 
having been destroyed by lire. One of these belonged to 
William Smith, father to Joe Smith. There were no busi- 



4o OLD .SKTTLKU.s' HISTOUV 

ness houses, no court house and no money to buiLl with, as 
there had been no taxes collected for four years. 

In 1HH6 people began to return to the county and re-estab- 

liah their homes a-mid the ruins of former ones, and at the 

same time the civil authorities, for so long a time helpless, 

b?,gan again to assume control and bent all tiieir enei'gies to 

o.';ng ordej' out of chaos, Vmt just nn the outset found them- 

,-olves confronted by a condition, not a theory, said condition 

ijilng a county with no court house nor office buildings, antl 

no building whatever that could be used for these purposes, 

>^rst of all, no money witli which to erect suitable ones. 

■ , iilemma they were forced to make temporary a.rra;nge- 

LkMvi •; '>y erecting in the nortii-east corner of the public 

■e a irume building about -4x40 feet, to be used as a 

),iit house, and in the south-east corner one JGxlH for the 
use of the county clerk as his office. These buildings were 
erected by Jno. Divinny. 

Benj. White was tlie tirst man to engage in the mercantile 
business in Butler after the war. But others came in rapid- 
ly and the town soon began to grow in reality, but for a year 
or so the outl(.)ok for the county was not very briglit, for 
many of those who were land owners had cast their lot with 
the lost cause, and thereby lost everything. They returned 
to find their homes ruined and the money in which the)' liad 
been paid being worth nothing tliey were absolutely without 
means to make the necessary improvements, and tlie result 
was tliat much of the land was never reclaimed by the orig- 
inal owners and returned to the government, or was sold for 
taxes. There were as yet, 180(5, no railroads in the county, 
but numerous enterprises for the securing of roads through 
all parts of the county, and the flattering promises made by 
the promoters acted as a stimulus to immigration and the ac- 
tual building of some to within a short distance of the county 
kept this interest alive. 

Of the towns that flourished before the war, Butler, the 
county seat, was the only one which regained its prestige. 
Old Papinsville was partially rebuilt, but the river trade was 
gone, and soon the M. K. & T. li. K. passed througii the 
south-east corner of the county, and new towns spi'ang up on 
the line of the railway. Papinsville remained only a local 
trading point, and not a business center as it was in its early 



OF UATKS COLNIY. 4<; 

(lays. Johnstown beini>- near the border of the depopiJalc d 
tenitory, was one of the tirst towns in the county to recover 
a part of its old-time activity, and for the first few years fol- 
lowint;' the war. was f[uite an important town. But the rail- 
roads also brought its rivals which prevented it from attain- 
ing .its place in the category of leading, towns of the county. 
The border troubles and the war completely wiped West 
Point off the mai3 and left not a sign of civilization or im- 
ju'ovements in the west part of the county, but at the close 
of the war it was rebuilt and, like Johnstown, did a vei'y con- 
siderable business until the building of railways brought it 
rivals which left it merely a relic of by-gone days. 

But soon new tovns began to appear in different parts of 
the county. In the east, Hudson was located in '67, on the 
strength of railway surveys, and quite a colony of immi- 
grants from New York state located here. But tlie railway 
•■passed Ijy on tlie other side." and Hudson never attained 
more than local jirommence. 

In the southern part of the county Old Rich Hill was estab- 
lished south of the river, also in 1867 and for a number of 
years remained the local trading point. In the same year, 
Mulberry, in the west part of the county was started, and 
being on the mail route from Butler and LaCygne, Kansas, 
and the center of a good agricultural district, grew to be a 
lively little town. New Home, also south of the river was 
located in 1^09, and assumed its place as a local trading 
point. Besides these were a number of points wiiere post- 
otfices had been establislied, some of them before the war, 
and where there was usually to be found a store or two and 
probably a Vjlacksmith shop. Among these we might men- 
tioi^ Prairie City, Lone Oak and Pleasant Gap, in the south- 
east; Maysburg, Union Town and Burdette, in the north. 

Meanwhile a great change was taking place throughout 
the rural portions of the county. At the beginning of this 
period the great prairies stretched in almost unbroken ex- 
panse for miles in evei-y direction. A settler living in the 
outskirts of the county, when making a visit to the county 
seat would cut across the nearest way, and was seldom de- 
llected from his course by fence or furrow. The country 
was still wild enough to give the Easterner a touch of fron- 
tier lih\ D'M'r were yet ccmiparatively plentiful. Wild tur- 



47 OLD SKTTLKKs" HISTOUY 

keys were still found in tlie timbers, and in tlie spring and 
fall of the year the streams were covered over with wild 
ducks and geese. They also abounded in tish, and a lialf- 
hour with hook and line Avould supply the table. The water 
in the streams was much clearer and the supply seemed to 
be much more constant, than it has been since the county 
has been settled and most of the timber cut oft'. Prairie 
chickens'in almost countless numbers gathered in their feed- 
ing grounds in the winter time, and were easily approaclied 
by the sportsman. Squirrels were so plentiful and tame that 
they were hardly noticed by the hunter, but the farmers, 
provoked by their raids on the corn fields, carried on a wa»- 
fare of extermination against the mischevious little pests. 
The fields also suffered from the ravages of the raccoon, and 
a trained '"coon dog" was accorded a plac3 of honor in every 
old settler's hoine. The excitement? of the 'coon hunt was a 
fascinating attraction for the new comer, and tiie older inhab- 
itants took pride in exploiting the feats of their favorite 'coon 
dogs. Opossums, rabbits, etc., were too numerous to excite 
comment. During the war, when the fields were overgrown 
with weeds, bushes and briers, reptiles of all kinds became 
very numerous. Snakes, especially the di'eaded rattler, 
were too plentiful for the comfort of the field worker. But 
one treatment was recognized for snake bite. I'hat was to 
fill the victim with the very worst grade of whisky obtainable 
and, if the whisky did not kill him, the milder prison from 
the rattler gave up the job in disgust. 'A favorite place for 
these reptiles was under the swathes of grain in the harvest 
field, and not infrequently the binder gathered them up and 
bound them with the grain. Familiarity, they say, breeds 
contempt, but few ever became callous enough not to exper- 
ience "'that tired feeling" when brought into sudden contact 
with a healthy rattler. It is a great wonder, considering the 
number of these reptiles, that there were so few serious cas- 
ualties from snake bites. 

The close of the war also left a number of desperadoes who 
had become so accustomed to plunder and rapine tliat they 
sought to continue to ply their vocation after the close of 
hostilities. The new comers were considered as legitimate 
prey by these outlaws, and if one had a particularly fine 
hors(\ or was suspected of keeping money handy, he rarely 



OF r.Al'KS COLISTV. -is 

missed an early call from these most unwelcome neighbors. 
The chiefs of these robbers were the four Younger brothers. 
Cole, Jim, Joim and Bob, wJio made their headquarters in 
St. Clair county, and were always surrounded by a band of 
followers. Tiiey operated from Texas to Minnesota where 
they made their last raid. It is probable tliat most of the 
petty crimes laid at their doors were committed by mere im- 
itators of those noted outlaw chiefs, but they frequently 
I'ode through the country as late as the early Seventies, and 
never hesitated to appropriate anything they stood in need 
of or took a fancy to, but it was seldom tliat they committed 
aLiy serious depredations ijear their home, as they endeavor- 
ed to keep as many friends as possible. It was seldom that 
anyone interfered witli tliem, or attempted to follow or re- 
gain their property. One time some eight or ten men follow- 
ed the ti'ail of stolen horses into the hills of St. Clair county. 
They found the band and demanded tJieir surrender. This 
was met by a counter challenge and the posse wilted. It 
was always very difficult to get any reliable knowledge of 
what passed, as those interested would never freely express 
themselves. At all events the friends of the members of the 
posse became alarmed at their absence, and a lai"ge party 
was raised to go to their rescue. Before tiiey had proceed- 
ed far into the enemy's country they met the party headed 
homeward. They had been disarmed and detained over 
night, but hosi)itably treated. 

John Younger was killed in a light with detectives, in 
wiiich se\'eral men lost their lives. Cole, Jim and Bdb were 
captured in Minnesota. The latter died in prison, the oth- 
ers remain under life sentence. Their feeble imitators were 
soon either captured or scattered, and Bates County became 
once again a quiet, law abiding communit}'. 

In the days before the war, and also for a short time after- 
wards, the settlers paid little attention to the raising of grain. 

Their cattle gained their living from the range almost the 
year round, and the fall of the nuts in the timber was de- 
pended on to fatten tlie hogs. There were no railroads to 
haul olf the grain, and the home demand was limited. This 
allowed more time for sports, hunting, fishing, etc. Soon, 
ho\ve\^er, tlie railroad and improved machinery changed all 
this. Where befoi-e no one had cared to own, fence and pay 



-l!l OlA) SKTTI-i:Us" IIISTOUY 

taxes on large farms, tlie scrambl*.' iur land bog-an, the green 
sod was ruthlessly tuiaied down/and the rumbluig of machin- 
ery drowned the lowing of herds. 

Soon the hunter, trappei- and lislier found his oceupatiori 
gone, and lie must either join the l)usy throng in tlie harvest 
fields, or move on again to the outposts of civilization. Boot- 
less task to sit and lam(>nt tlie passing of the good old days, 
they were gone, never to return to liim or his posterity wlio 
remained in the industrial kingdom of Bates. 

Then came the blow to the old order of farming and stock 
raising, and which was bitterly oppt)sed loy the old settlers. 

The great ])rairies of the county wliic!i were looked upon 
as the mutual possessions and feeding grounds of the peo- 
ple in general, rapidly passed under private ownership, and 
the hated barbed wire established a barrier to the herds of 
the settler. This innovation was bitterly opposed, and the 
wire was repeatedly cut. but, unwelcome guest though it was, 
it had come to stay, and quite a numbei- of the old residents 
were so disgusted by this tuiai of affairs tliat they took the 
first opportunity to sell out and remove to localities where 
the range still belonged exclusively to the people. 

Even then prairies were used almost exclusively as pas- 
tures, it still being the general opinion that they were not 
adapted to grain raising. This notion, however, rapidly dis- 
appeared, and soon thousands of acres of rich farm lands 
added their products to swell the output of Bates C/Ounty 
farms. At this time coal, although it was known to exist in 
many Tocalities, in fact, often cropping out of the hillsides, 
was hardly thought of as an important article for fuel, and 
not at all as an article of commerce. As long as the settle- 
ments were confined to the borders of the timber, firewood 
was too abundant and easily obtained to admit of any rival 
in that field. 

With the inflow of homeseekers and capital from the older 
states the conditions described above began to pass away. 
The change was gradual at first and the pioneer settler was 
the one who first noticed the change, the full meaning of 
which was not realized until later years. Bates County was 
to develop from a self supporting and self sustaining com- 
munity to a great and busy producing and exporting common- 
wealth. Its fertile soil and abundance of mineral deposits 



OK r.ATES COUNTY. T.O 

could not always bo reserved for the exclusive use ol" those 
who were fortunate enough to become her citizens. Her 
products were destined to go out to all parts of the country 
and build up a commercial interest of great magnitude and 
importance. But to accomplish this she must have the 
means of transijorting tliese products to the markets of the 
world. 

Althougli there hiul been one spasmodic and apparently 
short lived effort to secure a railroad through the county be- 
fore the war it amounted to nothing more than a survey and 
perhaps served to arouse some conjecture as to the probabil- 
ity of tliere sometime being a road built that would furnish 
an outlet for the products of Bates County, but the war came 
and for the time being destroyed all interest in such peaceful 
topics as possible railroads and for that matter destroyed ev- 
erything that might have been an inducement for the build- 
ing of a road. And after the passing away of these unfavor- 
able conditions and with the resultant return of peace 
cai'pe the desire for internal improvements and the promot- 
ers of numberless railroad projects began to air their schemes 
before the people. 

'J"'he rlrst of these and also the oup which resulted finally 
in securing the first- railroad ever operated in the county was 
a proposal from the Tebo & Neoslio R. R., this resulted in 
the calling of a meeting in Butler September 10, 1806, 
which met, adjourned, and did nothing more; unless to this 
meeting we ascribe the cause of an effort made soon after 
to secure funds to induce this road to enter the south- 
east part of the county. This effort ^jroving futile nothing 
more was done until 1867 when propositions to build roads, 
provided they received a stipulated amount of financial aid 
from the people, were received, but all rejected. This con- 
dition of things continued, until 1869 before anything defi- 
nite was accomplished. During this time, 1867 to 1869, some- 
wiiere near ten or twelve different proposed roads had been 
discussed and efforts made to secure appropriations to aid in 
their building, but all had failed. In March 1869 Prairie 
City township submitted a proposition to appropriate $25. 
OOL) to the Tebo & Neosho roads, bonds to be issued when 
cars were running through said township. This proposition 
carried almost unanimously", and the road was constructed 



51 OlA> SKrTI.KU.> IllSTOUV 

tiiroii<>-li the extreme south-east corner of tJie townsbip, and 
the bonds demanded and beuig refused, suit was broug-ntand 
judgement rendered against the townsliip. They took an 
appeal, but immediately after tlie decision of the lower court 
the road's representative repaired to Butler and demanded 
the bonds of the court, and they were given him. 'I'here has 
considerable litigation grown out of this action of the court. 

Some ten or twelve more meetings, each held for the pur- 
pose of promoting some prospective railroad, were held dur- 
ing this year, but nothing of permanent benefit in this direc- 
tion was accomplished until the following year, 1.S70, of 
which we will speak further in another place. 

At this time the county had recovered from the effects 
of the war. The old farms were redeemed from their wild 
state and new ones settled all over the county. Homes re- 
biiilt, school hou.ses and churches being erected, nourishing 
towns springing up in various places, and all kinds of pub- 
lic enterprises for the development of the county receiving 
the support of the people; an ideal condition for the opening 
of that era of unexampled development in all the lint.'S of 
human progress which has, in a marked degree, blessed 
Bates County since that time to the present and gives prom- 
ise of un-numbered tields .yet t j be won. 



DAVID A. DeARMOND, 

who is fairly represented by the above cut, was born in Blair county, Pa., 
March i8, 1844. He was educated in the common and high schools of his 
county, and at Dickinson Seminary at Williamsport. He worl<ed on a 
farm and taught school during the winters until 1S69. He was admitted to 
the bar in Davenport, Iowa, in 1S67. Located in Greenfield, Dade county, 
Mo., in i86g, and began the practice of his profession. In 1878 he was 
elected to the State Senate by a fusion of Democrats and Greenbackers, and 
served four years. He removed to Rich Hill, Bates county, in 1883, and 
about a year afterward came to Butler, where he has since resided. He was 
a Democratic elector in 1884 and voted for Grover Cleveland for President. 
In 1885 he was appointed a member of Missoui'i Supreme Court Commis- 
sion, and served about a year. He was elected Circuit Judge of the 22nd 
Judicial Circuit, composed of Bates, Henry and St. Clair counties in 1886, 
and served about four years, wlien he resigned to take his seat in the 52nd 
congress to which lie had been elected at the general election of 1890. He 
has since been re-elected to the 53d, 54th, 55th and 56th Congresses of the 
United States. 

Recently he was a prominent candidate for leader of the minority in 
the lower house of congress but after a spirited contest was defeated. 

Congressman DeArmond has a commodious home in this city, and 
leads a quiet, honie life when at home. He has a wife and four children, 
three sons and one daughter, who is the wife of Gen. H. C. Clark, present 
Prosecuting Attorney of Bates county. 

The people of Bates and the 6th congressional district take reasonable 
pride in the success which lias characterized Judge DeArmond's career on 
thebencli and in congress, and lie possesses the confidence of all our peo- 
ple to a marked degree. Quiet, unobtrusive — even distant and resened — 
in his relations with the people; yet he is a genial companion and a cordial 
friend to those who know him best. He is a careful, hard student, and in 
all his speeches and writings the evidence of scholarsliip and classical ac- 
quirements are everywhere shown. In private conversation and in public 
speech he is one of the most accurate talkers in the country. 



OF r.ATKS COllNTY. 



PERIOD 1\^ FliOM ls7() TO I'.icn. 

DEVELOPMENT. 

By i^TO, tiio bt^^inuini;' of thf period of devclojunont. Iho 
county had regained the ground lost during the period of 
civil strife and now begins her onward march in the light and 
under reign of entirely new conditions, which march has in 
every way exceeded the greatest hopes of her friends and 
she now stands the pier of any county in all the wide prai- 
ries of the West. 

In fact 1870 w'as in some particulars a red letter year in 
the county's history, for the people having reorganized all of 
their affairs and begun to enjoy the fruits of peace and pros- 
perity, their attention was directed to the fine coal fields of 
Bates County, and the consequent undeveloped wealth which 
lay hidden beneath her fertile prairie and timber lands, and 
also that in order that this untold wealth niiglit be made 
available it was necessary to liave means of transportation 
for carrying it to the markets of the world. Hence, in April 
1870 a petition was circulated asking the county court to 
appropriate ft'400,iK)() in ix^nds to the Memphis road, half to 
be paid when the road reached the nortliern limits of the 
county and the other half when the cars were ruiniing to 
Butler; also asking the court to order special (^lections to be 
hold in Mt. Pleasant and Grand River townships, the former 
to appropriate $9(),(K)0, and the latter 4().00(». to tlie Lexing- 
ton, Chillicothe & Gulf road. The Mempliis petition was 
sent in with 1,240 names attached and accompanied by a re- 
monstrance bearing the signatures of 502 men. Both orders 
were made by the court, however, and the election in each 
township ordered the township bonds issued by large major- 
ites. In May 1870 a petition was presented to tJie court ask- 
ing that h)ody to rescind its order appropriating the $400,000 
to the Memphis but the court took no action in the matter. 
But in June 1870 at a meeting of the county court it did re- 
scind this order on representations made to it that tlie Mem- 



03 OM) SKl'TLKKs" lllSTOliV 

phis road was not legally iiicorpoi-atcd. but these repres ci- 
tations were afterwards shown to be incori-eet. and hi l.s71 
the Kansas City, and Memphis Company made formal api)li- 
cation for the bonds, claiming that they were still valid, and 
the coart compromised by subscribing $125.(>0<>. Tliis road 
was never completed, and the bonds were not issued. 

Meanwhile, the bonds issued by Mt. Pleasant and (Jrand 
River townships to the L. C. & G. road were tlie subject t)f 
much contention and their ultimate disposition will be notic- 
ed in treating the financial affairs of the county. 

All this agitation of railway matters in the five years, 1H65 
to 70, resulted in tlie actual completion of but one road, the 
M. K. & T. and only tapped tiie extreme soutli-east corner 
of the county. Wiiile tJiere was a road bed graded from the 
north line of the county through Butler and extending some 
distance south of that place, and in 1870 bonds were secured 
on the strength of this work, this line was never finished and 
the grade never used. In 1879 and '80 the Missouri Pacific 
Company constructed a line south from Harrisonville, the 
Lexington & Southern Branch, M'hich traversed the county 
from north to south, passing tiirough the county seat and 
the great coal fields of Osage townsliip. The Memphis road 
also built a branch which entered the extreme southern part 
of the county from the west, and traversed the southern coal 
fields. 

A few years later a company headed by Gov. Chas. Foster 
of Ohio, which made large purcliases of coal lands in Walnut 
township, and laid plans for a railway from St. Louis, Mo. 
to Emporia, Kan. Work commenced on tliis projected line, 
named Tlie St. Louis & Emporia, in Bates County and was 
pushed westward about one-hundred miles. But the project 
was too large for the capital of its promotors, and the road 
w^as absorbed by the Gould interests, which made ifa branch 
of the Missouri Pacific system, extending from Butler, which 
place it reaches by use of the L. & S. tracks, to Madison, 
Kan. This line first commenced operation in 1884 

In 1886-7 a road was surveyed from Kansats City south, 
running thi'ough Bates County, north and south parallel to 
and a short distance from the state line. This was the line 
now known as the Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf, and is in 
operation from Kansas City, Mo. to Port Arthur. La. 




GEO. P. HUCKEBY 

was born in the town of Rome, in Peny count}', Indiana, May 7th, 1841. 
His early life, like that of most boys brought up on a farm, was uneventful. 
He worked on the farm during the summer and went to school in the winter 
after the crops were ' "laid by." His school days were so well improved 
that at the age of seventeen he was admitted to the Freshman Class at 
Hanover College, Ind., and graduated at the age of 21. In July,i86i,he en- 
listed in Co. D., 1st Indiana V^oJ. Cav., and served until the following 
January when he was discharged because of disability, the result of typhoid 
fever. His army service was mostly in Southeastern Missouri. He began 
the reading of law in the fall of 1S63 and was admitted to the bar in New 
Albany, Ind., and began the practice of his profession in 1865. He con- 
tinued the practice until the fall of 1879, when he removed to Butler, Bates 
county, Mo. His first business in this county being that of a school 
teacher. When the town of Rich Hill was founded in 1880, Mr. Iluckeby 
removed to the new town and established the first newspaper. In May, 
1S81, he was appointed Postmaster and held the office until October, 1885. 
At the close of his term he went into the law and real estate business, and 
spent one year (1887) in the booming city of Wichita, Kansas. His success 
was not remarkable in Wichita, as the collapse caught him as it caught 
many more. After returning to Rich Hill he again took up the newspaper 
business and was quite active in the presidential campaign of 1888. In the 
fall of 1890 he was again appointed Postmaster and held the office until 
October, 1S94, and retired with the approval of all his fellow citizens as a 
faithful and obliging official. Since retiring from his second term as Post- 
master he has been engaged in the practice of his profession and conduct- 
ing a very safe and successful office business. Always interested in every- 
thing that tends to benefit mankind, Mr. Huckeby has taken great inter- 
est in all political, moral and social questions. He has been a member of 
the Masonic fraternity ever since his majority. He is an active member of 
the Methodist church and has been ever since a mere youth. He is a good 
lawyer, a quiet, courteous gentleman, and has the confidence and respect of 
all who know him. 



or nAT;:s countv 54 



BATE8 COUNT Y"8 MINERAL PKODUC^TS. 

COAf.. 

.Coal hiis been known to exist in Bates County from llu; 
earliest days of her pioneer period, but the development of 
this great and important natural product belongs entirely to 
this period of he]- history. As heretofore stated, in the ear- 
ly days there was but little call for coal as an article of fuel 
from the settlers, as the wood they cleared from their fields 
furnished an ever ready and ever sufficient supply for the 
oi)en fireplaces then in vogue. But the blacksmitli needed a, 
more constant and intense heat than could be obtained from 
tlie combustion of wood, so he went out to the hillside to 
where the vein cropped out of the ground, and easily secur- 
ed as much coal as he needed for his foi'ge. Later on, as 
the settlers began to go out on the prairies to make their 
homes, it required an iniUK'Use amount of labor to supply the 
fireplace with wood hauled from the timber, and they natur- 
ally turned to the coal that in many localities could be se- 
cured in such quantities as needed, by simply scraping otf a 
light covering of soil and slate. Then the coal -grate was 
set in the fireplace, and the open coal tire took the place of 
the blazing fjacklog of the old-time tireplace. But, as a 
general rule, the housewife did not take kindly to the change. 
The coal smoke and gas would not all find its vvay up the 
spacious chimney, and when it got contrary and went the 
wrong way, it was much more disagreeable than were th(^ 
fumes from the burning wood which, the old-timers solemnly 
avered, was '-good for the health," of the victim who was 
compelled to innale it. Still later the coal stove began to 
make its appearance, and the use of coal as fuel became more 
and more general. 

With the disappearance of the old-time tireplace coal be- 
came an important article of fuel, and it was soon found to 
exist in greater or less abundance in nearly all parts of the 
countv. When this became known, and the value of the 



i)i) OLD SKT'1'I>KKS lllsroUV 

pruduct as an article of commerce bcii-aii to be realized, the 
necessity of railway connection with the outside world l)e- 
caine apparent. But befoi-e the advent of tiie railway :i con 
siderable industry had sprung- up in the uiining and hauiiiii!,- 
of coal to meet the local demand. Many men and teams 
found employment in stripping' the soil off the shallow coal 
beds, and hauling the product to the consumers. In the fall 
of the year, or in fact all through the winter season, during 
the seventies, the road from the coal fields south of the river 
to Butler would be lined with teams hauling the heavily 
loaded vd^ons. 

But the real development of i\]o coal industry dates back 
to 1880 — twenty year.s — and its advent brought a new era. 
Cities .sprang up as if by magic, the population of the county 
increased rapidly, and all branches of industry were enliven- 
ed. With the advent of an army of laborers, the demand 
for farm products was greatly increased, and the farmer soon 
felt the benefit of the increased consumption. 

The mercantile business was also greatly stimulated and 
the coal industry lias done much toward making our county 
the great and busy commonwealth it today is. 

Coal is mined in over iialf of the twenty-four townships in 
the county, and exists in small quantities in the others. In 
the eastern tier of townships it is mined for local traffic, in 
Rockville, Hudson and Deepwater townships. In the cen- 
tral part of the county, Mt. Plea-iant, Summit and Charlotte 
townships furnish coal in limited quantities, but with fuller 
development will probably greatly increase their output. 
The southern coal field reaches into the entire tier of town- 
ships, the most productive part lying in Osage. Walnut and 
New Home townsliips are underlaid with from one to three 
coal veins, and the possibilities of this tield are not yet realiz- 
ed, while on the west line and farther north, Homer and 
West Point townships present coal veins of varying depth 
and thickness which have as yet only been partially develop- 
ed. 

Future prospecting may add greatly to tlie area of our 
coal field and to the annual yield of our mines. This is par- 
ticularly probable in the case of Walnut, New Home, Homer 
and Mt. Pleasant townships, where coal measures have been 
found far below the veins which are now being worked. 



<)1' l',\li:s (OINTV. .)(. 

'IMic only tu'ld in llie county that liiis been extcusivdy 
worked is that south of the Marais des Cygnes Kiver. Fol- 
lowing the advent of the railway in 1880 a numl)er of eom- 
l)anies located at Rich Hill and opened up and work-ed tlieir 
mines on an extensive scale. The gi'eater part of the out- 
put was shipped out of the county, i^ut smelters were locat- 
ed tiiere and they, with various other enterprises, consumed 
lu) small amount of coal at home. The supply for the local 
demand was in a great measure left to the small operators, 
wlio usually woi'ked the strij) pits, and sold their output to 
the teamsters, who in turn sold to tlie consumers. For 
twenty years these mines have sent train-load after train-load 
of coal out of the county, and the su[)ply seems almost inex- 
haustahle. But a coinparativ(4y small area has yet been 
woi'ked. and each year new mines are being opened and op- 
(M-ated. For a numi)er of years past the state mine inspect- 
or has taijulated the output of the larger mines, but it must 
!)(» remeintjered that a great amount of coal is every" year 
taken out which never finds its way into any report, liut 
13a tes '.'ounty is now the second county in the state in the 
annual coal yield, and siie has in the past stood at the head 
of the list for several years. According to the min(^ inspect- 
oi-'s rei)ort the iiighest yeaidy output was in 1^S89, when it 
reached 7;!<).o;)i) tons. While in ISiJl it dropped to less than 
;!,)(i.();>vi tons. During the last three years the output has 
again raj^idly increased until tiiis year it is estimated at 
al)()ut ()!)ii,oiK) tons. 

Making allowance foi' the numerous small mines whose 
yield does not show in these estimates it is probable that for 
the past twenty years the average output of coal in the en- 
tire county has been near ")()(), 000 tons, making a grand total 
of ten millions of tons, which at the average mine pric<^ of 
Si. ) per ton would represent a value of JftlO.000.000. 'J'his 
estimate is merely intended to convey to the mind of the 
i-eader some idea of the industry which has grown up in our 
county in the past twenty years. 

At present our coal mines give em})loyment to about one 
thousand men, some of whom only devote a portion of tluMr 
time to this work. About S800,000 pev year is paid out for 
labor. The coal industry has, in the last twenty years, built 
u)) a large and prosperous city of over six thousand inhabit 



() ( oM) sirrrr,Ku.s iii.sioKv 

;iiil->. liiv'h Hill, and eoiitributtHl l;ir.ii-<'ly lo tin' (L^xclopuKMil 
oT tlio towns of Hume, Foster, Amoret aud Aujsterdani. all 
which ship out coal to the markets. The Lexin.trton & South - 
ern and the Memphis railways haul the output ui the i^i-eat 
mines of Osage, Prairie and Howard townships. Tlie St. 
Louis & Em]ooria carries the product of the Walnut townshij) 
mines, while the Kansas City, Pittsourg & (Julf jiasses 
through the coal land of Howard. Walnut. Houiri' mul West 
Point townships. 

During the past year of U-ill'.i ther(> has i>ecn great actixity 
manifested in the coal fields, and new mines are constantly 
being opened and add their portion to swell the total yield. 
The coming years bid fair to out-do tlu' rec:)rd of tht^ past in 
the coal industry of Bates County. 



OTHKK INllXinjALS. 

IJatcs County furnishes an a'DUiidaiu-e of building stone of 
good quality, also fire-clay from whicli good brick have bet^u 
made. Petroleum has been found in several different parts 
of the county, but only (me well, in West P>o()n(» township, 
has been put down, ft has I'oi- many years yielded fi'om one 
to three barrels of oil per day. This oil, on account of its 
lubricating qualities, finds ready market at a profitable [)rice. 
It establishes the fact that petJ'oleuuj exists in ]>aying (|uan- 
tity in the county, and leaves another important industry to 
be developed. 

Natural gas has been found in consideral:)le (juantities in 
many different localities. A number of strong flows have 
been accidentally discovered in the south part of the county. 
While in West Boone township, in the mn'th-west. it is now 
being used in a few instances for lighting and heating dwell- 
ings. There is also, great possibilities for the future in this 
field. 

Very promising traces of lead and zinc ore have been fouuid 
in various parts of the county, notably in Walnut, Mt. Pleas- 
ant, Deejnvater and West Boone townships, and it remains 
for the future to unfold the extent and value of these various 



»)F V.VIK 



r)S 



deposits. It is 2)ossiljJe. ill fact, veiy probable, that the next 
few yeai-s will tind other mineral interests disputing the 
sway of King- Coal in Bates County's mining industries, and 
adding to her prominence as a rich and prosjDerous common - 
wealtii 




COURT HOUSE. 



CITIES AND TOWNH. 

BUTLKK. 



AVc have ill preceediiig pages followed the somewhat 
checkered career of the county seat from its foundation, 
through its early and prosperous career, through its recon- 
struction and rebuilding, and in the beginning of the present 
l)eriod tind it once again a busy, prosperous little town, "The 
Queen of the Prairies" of Bates County. She was beginning 
to consider herself a city, having secured a large two-story 
In-ick school building, thoroughly equipped with modern ap- 
pliances, and a commodious and substantial brick court 
house, which compared favoraby with the public buildings 
of older and more populous counties. She had many good 
business houses, and some creditable residences. She had 



5t> OLD m;i rM'.i;>" iiisi'oi;^ 

l);iiik's, stores. slio))s. luills. iicwspaprrs. and all llic xarioii-^ 
iiidiis; rit's. I)ut no railroad. Siicii ])arts of llic material Toi" 
iier Duildiniis as coidd not be supi>lied I'roiii her snrrouiul- 
iu.iis liad to be hauled loiiu' distances from some more I'avored 
town. The mei'(-handise tor iier stores and ,ii(><>d.s for lier 
shops had to l)e freighted from points on tlie railway. She 
was comjx'lled to depend on t lie slow "sta r I'oiites" for her 
mails, and on the ('nnd).'rsi)me sta^'e (-(^aeh for ti'ans]>oi'ta- 
lion facilities, She f-ould not ])iit on cosmo])olitan airs and 
l)e a i'<>ally i)i^- town nidil she could boast of )-ail\vay connec- 
tions with the outside world. Her uood.s were f reiii'iited 
from Ap])leton Cit.w in St. Clair county. twent\' miles to the 
s;)Uth-east. Harris )n\'ille. tlie c;)un1y seat of (\issc)unly. 
tlnriy miles north, and La C-y.""i^c. Kansas, the same distiince 
to the north-west; the ni-eater ])art. howe\er. from the first 
named plac-f. 

This frei^'htin.i^' ,<;rew to bean important industry m which 
a larije number of men and teams were enqiloyed. in the 
ten years fi'om IJSTO to IHHD. thousands of loads of «i'oods. 
represeutin.u' a monetary value of millions of dollars, were 
fi'ei^'lited o\-er the loni^- and hilly i-c)ads between A|)])leton 
City and Butler. 

Yet, in the face of all disiid\anta,u'es. IJutler continued to 
prospei" and .urow. Tiie sui"i-oandinu- couidi-y was ra])idly 
tilled up with industi'ious farmers and her ti'ade increased 
correspond! tii^'ly. Her ujost direct mail route was from Ha r- 
risonville. but she also re{;eived mails fi'om A])])leton City, 
and from La Cyg'ne, Kansas. Substantial church i)uildin.us 
were erected i)y the Methodist. Baptist and Pr(\sbyteriari de- 
nominations, the two fornu^r brick and the latter fi-ame. A 
row of V)usiiiess houses suri'ounded tlie public square, and 
tiie town made i;"ood and substantial ])ro,uress durin.i^' the 
seventies. 

In h'SiSO came the railway, and then in 'M electi'ic li.u'hts. 
which at that time were considered strictly cosmopolitan, 
liut tlu^' railway wdiich they had striven tor so loiiii" a time, 
also brought competitors for Butler. Towns sprung' up 
wdncli (Microached on her territory. There is always tlie 
thorn as well as tiie rose to be dealt with. But her entei-- 
j)ris(> was not the sort to be satisfied with a, few good tidngs. 
A few years later she obtaine^d a complete system of watt'r- 



OF I'.AIKS col NTV f;0 

works, a pltMitlful and pure supply' being obtained from the 
A'Jianii River, four miles west of town. She built a second 
school l>uildlng and a lari>'e academy, and later on, the lirst 
larye school house was torn down and replaced by one of the 
ihu'st and most completely equipped school buildii)<^"s in tlie 
West* She also has a building- for her colored pupils, and is 
l)uilding a foarth large building in order to supply the ever- 
inci-easing demand for school room. She has, since 1880, 
erected ll\e line cliurches, having eight such Imildings at 
present. Nearly all her l)usiness iiouses have been replaced 
by modern brick and stone buildings. She has three banks, 
live weekly and ou(^ daily newspajjers. several of the largest 
and most substantial business lirms in the Southwest, and 
many handsome and costly residences, and an estimated pop- 
II hit ion of '){)[)[) people. 

RICH HILL. Tiie oi-iginal town now known as Old Rich 
Hill was founded in 1M()7, and had grown into a place of con- 
sideral^le importance by 1H80, when the building of the Lex- 
ington branch of the Missouri Pacific through the county 
caused the removal of the greater part of the town to the 
present site of Rich Hill, wliich has since grown to be the 
largest city in the county— originally deriving its prosperity 
from the enormous coal deposits, it has widened its resources 
and bi'anched out into numerous other enterprises and is still 
growing with every prospect of no immediate cessation. It 
has a population of about (ioi);). tine public schools, one col- 
lege, numerous churches and excellent railroad facilities. 

Its smelters are also a source of great revenue to tlie city 
and I'l-oni its coal supply, W(! predict that at no far distant 
(hiy it will rank liigh as a manufacturing city. 

ADRIAN. Adrian is situated (m the L. Ot S. i-ailway, in- 
Deej- Creek township, the corporation extending to the north 
line of Mound township. It was founded in 1880, the year 
th(> railroad commenced operations, by a company composed 
l)i-incipally of Butler men. Situated in a fine agricultural 
section it has enjoyed a steady and substantial growth. The 
census of 1890 showed a population ot ul3; it now has up- 
ward of 1000 inhabitants. It has a splendid new school 
Imilding, employs six teachers and has t>chool nine months 



()l ()M) SKTTI.KUs" IIISTOKV 

in the yoar. Its pcjst- office was advanced to the Pre.sidential 
chiss in iHiH). It has substantial business houses, a Imnk, a 
mill, a weekly newspnpei-. sevei-al church buildini^s, and 
many liandsome residences. In size and bnsin(\ss done, it 

rank's third in liic county. 

« 

HUME. The town of Huni<' was started in 1SH(». and is 
situated in the we->t })art of Howard township, in the south- 
west corner of tiie county, on the Memphis branch railwtiy. 
It is surrounded by a rollin.u' ]>j"airie country, which is all un- 
der cultivation and very pi'oductive. It also has quite an ex- 
tensive coal int»n'est. It now has two railroads, th(» K. C. P. 
& G. haviuij;' been built throuii'h the town ten ycai's after its 
foundin.ii'. It has as .^-ood shippin.ii* facilities as any town in 
the county. It had in IsiU(» a i)opulation of 4H(), which has 
been very cousiderably increased since that time. It has 
numcjrous stores, a baid^. a cr<'amery. an excellent wc^ekly 
new.spaper, a *;()od two-story brick school building'. .U'ood 
sciiools, churches, etc. 

ROCKVILLE. Rockville is a thrivin-- little vill i--e of 
some HOO souls, situate in the south-east part of the county 
cm the M. K. & T. K. K.. in Rockville township. It was 
found(Hl in isbsi, and now has an ele.i^ant new and comma- 
dious brick school buildiuii-. and a tine school, employing 
four teachers, sev«M-al churches, many tine business houses 
well stocked with merchandise, and situated as it is in a tine 
a<i-ricultural and stock raisiuii' ])art of the county has a bright 
future befoi'(> it. 

FOSTER. Foster was born on a boom. First called Wal- 
nut, it was re-chj"istened in honor of Go\'.^ Foster, of Ohio, 
who was at the head of the comj^any which laid out tlie town 
in 18S4. Lots were sold rapidly and at a high price. Many 
buildings were erected, and Foster was to rival, if not sur- 
pass, the mining tow^i of Rich Hill. But the company failed 
to carry through its original plans, and her coal tieids have 
not been extensively develoi)ed. After the collapse of the 
boom Foster did not make mucii progress for some years, Ijut 
she is now enjoying a healthy growth, and awaits the devel- 
opment of her coal tieids which will place her again to the 




W. F. HEMSTREET. 

W. F. Hemstreet was born in Syracuse, N. Y. , Dec. 7, 
1833, and removed to La Salle County, 111., in 1859, and in 
1861, to McLean County, 111. He lived there until the fall of 
1871, and came to Cass County, Mo., in 1872, and settled on a 
farm near where Drexel is now. In 1887 he came to Butler 
where he has since resided. 

He has been engaged in the grocery business; and in the 
Elevator with Bryant & McDaniel; and in the spring of 1893 
was elected Justice of the Peace and member of the township 
board for Mt. Pleasant, which offices he still fills to the general 
satisfaction of the people. In 1892 he was elected Police Judge 
of the City of Butler. 

Judge Hemstreet is an active member of the Christian 
church, and has been one of the elders for many years. He 
lost his first wife in 1888, leaving three children, two sons and 
one daughter, all of whom are married and reside in this vicinity. 
His mother is still living in Chicago, now 92 years of age, but 
enjoying good health. She lives with her daughter, Mrs. 
Gardner. 

Judge Hemstreet married his present wife about a year ago, 
a most estimable woman, and they live in a commodious home 
on South High street in the enjoyment of the confidence and 
esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. 



OK r.ATIOS COINTV. {')-2 

front. She has a dozen stores, a bank, funr charches and a 
large school building* and excellent schools. Foster had a 
})opulation of 513 in li-i9(), and has probably a little more than 
held her own in that respect. 

AMOKET. Auioret was located in the western part of 
Homer townshij) in IW-.). by the company wliich obtained 
control of the Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf railway project, 
and was extensively advertised and pushed to tlie front by 
the same agency. ''J'he company made it division headquar- 
ters for a time, until the road was pushed further south. It 
has a tinc! location, enjoys a good local trade and is making 
a substantial gi-cwth. The railway company owns a large 
tract of land adjacent to the town, which tlie}' have set to 
fruit trees. The town has several mercantile firms, a mill, 
a creamery and a number of other industries. It also has a 
weekly newspaper, a two-roomed frame school building and 
one church t)uildi ng. 

AMSTERDAM. Tiiis town was laid out by the Amster- 
dam "J^'own Co., ('. A. Emerson manager, in the west part of 
West Point township, on the K. C. P. & G. R. R. in 1891. 
The post-office was at first called Burrows, after the first post- 
master, and the station sported another cognomen. The 
railroad company had no interest in the land, and it was not 
started with a boom. Its growth has been slow, but steady. 
It is one of the best shipping points on the road. It is sur- 
rounded by a tine fai"m and stock raising country, 'and coal 
is mined on three sides of the town. It has over a dozen 
business firms, a bank, a weekly newspaper, a substantial 
two story ijrick school Ijuilding and two churches. 

MERWIN. Also on the K. C. P. & G. railway, in West 
Boone township, near the Kansas line, was located at the 
time of the building of the road on the land owned by L. S. 
Richardson. Tlie town has enjoyed a substantial growth 
and lively trade. It has a number of good briclv business 
houses and good stores, a two-story fi'ame school building, 
two church buildings, a bank, a creamery and a weekly news- 
paper. It also has a fine college building, tlie school being 
under the successful management of Professors Bunyard, 
Smith and Reynolds. 



<;;; old siorrijoits' iiisroitv 

JOHNSTOWN. Joliii.stown. - tlio metropolis of Spruce 
township, is one of the oldest towns in the county, and has 
been treated as sucli lu'retofore. Once tiie metropolis of the 
county, it luis loni4- since fallen from that hi.i^-h position, and 
is now only a little inland vill i«^'e. with only the. memories of 
its former .ureatness. but yet controls a lari^-e amount of local 
trade, notwithstandinu;- its many misfoi-tunes. Surrounded 
as it is by a noble, o-enerous and enteri)rising people, it ^vill 
ever live, at least in the memory of the wiater as that s])ot 
around which cluster the i-emenibrance of the hopes, aspira- 
tions and disai>])ointments of his youth and early manhood. 

OTHER TOWNS AND POST-OFFICES. Spruce is an 
inland villaj;-e of Deepwater township: was founded in ISs.". 
It now has three i!,-en(M'al store.s\ di'Uii' store, blacksmith sho]). 
school house and two churches. Pleasant.ii'ap, in Pheasant 
Gap t()wnshi}>. now transacts considerable local business. 
Papinsville has survived many hai'dships and is now a lively 
villa<j-e. Aai'on. founded four of live years since near the 
west line of Ming'o township, has a post-office and general 
store. Maysburg, also in Mingo township, started in IHT-S, 
now has several business firms. Prairie C^ity. in Prairie 
township, in early days an aspirant for railway advantages, 
is now composed of post-office and several stoi'es. Virginia. 
located in Charlotte t3vvnship. has a post office, two churches 
and several stores. Lone Oak is a ])ost-office ,and trading 
point in Pleasant Gap townshi]). Ballai'd. a small village, 
with post-office, in north-western part of Spruce township. 
Altona, in Grand River township, established just i)efore tin* 
war. S])rague. in the east pai-t of Howard township, has 
two hundr(Hl citizens and several business firms. Burdett, 
in East Boone township, is an old town of consideralile local 
importance. Dana occupies the site of old West Point. Vin- 
ton, also in West Point township. Elkhai't is the local trad- 
ing point of Elkhart township. Mulberry, in Homer, still 
transacts considerable business. Worland is a \illage in Wal- 
nut township. New Homc\ Cornland andNyhartare in New 
Home township; Peru, in Lone Oak: Reynard, in Hudson, 
and Sliobe, in New Home townshi]). Passaic, railway sta- 
tion in Mound, and Culver, on line b(;tween Shawnee and 
Spruce, The above nauKHl places all have post-offic(>s. 




L. B. ALLISON 

was born in Holland, Erie County, N. V., in the jear 183^, and spent 
his early life largely in the private and public schools where he resided. 
At the age of seventeen he studied two years under a normal instructor and 
then began teaching in the rural schools of Western New York. He after- 
wards took a full course in the celebrated Fredonia Academy, graduating in 
1S57, and resumed teaching. Taught village schools as principal till com- 
ing to Missouri in 1867, when he began teaching in public schools. Was 
elected County School Superintendent in 1S68, and engaged largely in or- 
ganizing new school districts, some sixty in number, during his "term of 
office. Was Principal of the Butler Public Schools for three years, insti- 
tuting the first graded system of the same. Resigning on account of ill 
health, he spent several months in Colorado. On his return, he entered 
the Butler Academy then in its infancy, where he taught twelve consecutive 
years with Rev. Povvelson and Prof. J. \\. Naylor. Those prosperous days 
of the school will long be remembered by both teachers and pupils. Was 
elected superintendent of the Appleton City Schools in 1889 and taught a 
successful term of one year and began his second term under favorable con- 
ditions save that of health, which failed, forcing him to resign. For a time 
his recovery was deemed impossible, but what was regarded at the time as a 
great calamity has proved a great physical benefit, for his recovery gave 
him a new lease of life, and the present time finds him still engaged in his 
chosen profession, with the same earnestness, zeal and vigor of twentv 
years ago, and has probably taught more years in Southwest Missouri than 
any other person. Has kept up with the times, nor has years of faithful 
work in the school room lessened his ardor in the cause of education. He 
is strong and vigorous both in body and mind, and as capable of efficient 
service as a man of twenty-five. He is a close student, and a scholarly 
gentleman, and no teacher with whom we are acquainted stands closer to the 
army of young men and women who have sat at his feet in the class room 
than he does. This fact alone is a monun.ent to his fidelity and enduring 
work. 



OF B.MKS COl NTY. (15 



PUBLIC^ SCHOOLS OF BATES COUNTY. 

(Prepared bv I'rDtfcssor L I!. Allison.) 

Bates County in iS(j') was in a state of desolation. But 
four"'"' school iiouses survivad the ravages of the war; one at 
Pleasant Gap and is now tlieir district school house, one on 
South Deepwater, known as the Radford School House, and 
is now in a dilapidated condition; one near Johnstown; and 
one on the head of Elk Pork on the Evans' farm. The two 
last were used for school houses a short time only. School 
liouses were rendezvous for Inishwhackers and scouts dur- 
ing the war and when they were forced to abandon them 
they usually set fire to them, and in that way they were 
burned up. Tnere were only five of the old teachers who 
returned to the county after tile war, viz: A. E. Page, R. J. 
Reed, William Requa, Mrs. Sarah Requa and Miss Josepiiine 
Bartlett. David McGaughey was a])pointed county super- 
intendent of public schools for the county at the May term 
of the county court, in ls(i(). and the next day after his ap- 
pi)intment George Lampkin and Mi's. E. Burkleo, his sister, 
we're granted certificates to teach. Mr. Lamjikin commenced 
teaching at Pleasant Gap the next Monday and taught there 
for one year. Miss Requa taught school in the Radford 
school house that summer and fall and George Hill at Johns- 
town. A temporar,y school lioase was built at Butler in the 
summer of 1<S6(1. and the tirst school was taught by Proffess- 
or Cavendisli, a graduate of Aslibury Universit}^ Kansas, 
in the fall and winter of l.S()t') and ISI^. At that time there 
were Ijut live or six schools in the county. TJie first new 
school house built in the county after the war was the Els- 
wick school house and the next was in the Parks neighbor- 
hood, all in Charlotte township. 

David McGaugliey was elected superintendent of public 
schools November, ls()6, for two years. The fall of that 
year and the following winter most of the county was reor- 
ganized into school districts. The former boundaries of 



B(3 OLD SKl'TLEltS UlSTOUV 

school districts wore tc^tally oblitorated and lojt, and in the 
hurry to have schools started as soon as two or three fami- 
lies settled in a township they organized it into a school dis- 
trict and l)uilt a school house. vSoon tliese districtts had to 
be divided and subdivided. In many townships the lirst 
school house had to be moved to accomodate tlie districts. 
In some townships the teachers fund had increased enor- 
mously which give a great impetus to our schools and induc- 
ed many good teachers to come to the county. Tne teachers' 
salary was good. During 1HG7 and 1H6S some forty or lifty 
new school houses were built and had good sciiools in them. 
During these two years the superintendent introduced the 
system of visiting the district schools, holding cxauiinations 
and lecturing upon educati(jnal topics which was appreciatixl 
by scholars and parents and was very successfully- carried 
out by his successor. In Novem'oer, hSOS Proffessor L. B. 
Allison was elected county superintendent for two years. 
The capital school fund survived the war in the best state of 
preservation of anything ni the county. 'J^he principal had 
mostly all been loaned out and securtnl by deeds of t)"ust. 
The notes and deeds wer<^ all saved and accumulated interest 
for four or five j^ears, only a few notes for $7)) and under 
were worthless. ^M]e sale of the school lands before the war 
amounted to about $65, 00.) which has been augmented to 
about $100,000 from the sale of lands. Tlie rapid ri.se in the 
value of lands had a good effect upon our school fund, mak- 
ing the school fund of Bates County tlie second best of any 
county in the state. 

The number of school districts increased rapidly during 
the superintendency of Prof. L. B. Allison, as his annual 
report to the state superintendent for llie year 1870 will 
abundantly prove. 

In the year 1869 Bates County ranked fourth in the amount 
expended for the building of school houses, and in 1870 she 
stood second, expending tliat year the sum of f$]4,170. 71. 

The first teachers' institute ever held in the county was or- 
ganized in Butler at the First Presbyterian Church on the 
24th day of May, 1869. Nearly fifty tea.chers were in at- 
tendance, and a remarkably interesting session of five days 
was held under the leadership of the county superintendent, 
who had devoted much time in the East to institute M'ork. 



OF BATES COUNTY. 07 

Tlio I'osult of this teachers' meeting was immediate in its ( 1- 
fect upon the schools, for til e teachers, with hardly an ex- 
ception, endeavored to put in practice the methods of in- 
struction presented to them, and a marked change for the 
better was plainly visible. 

A second session of tliree days, beginning on the 1st day 
of September following, was held in the same place as the 
first, and. the institute was favored with the aid of the state 
superintendent of public instruction and his assistants. Profs. 
T. A. Parker and Edwin Clark; also Prof. Jasper A. Smith. 
Nearly every teaclioL' in the county was present and mani- 
fested a lively interest in the proceedings. 

A rapid advancement in the status of the common schools 
of the county and the awakening of the people in their be- 
half, induced the superintendent to call the third meeting of 
the Bates County Teachers Institute, in April 1870, to Pajj- 
insville, then the second town in the county. The teachers 
were warmly welcomed by the citizens of the town and were 
invited to share their hospitalities. About forty teachers 
w^ere enrolled during the session, and several of the citizens 
took part in the proceedingSj making the session both an 
ijleresting and profitable one. 

A change in the school law made by the state legislature 
during the winter of 1870, making more liberal provisions in 
the increase of the number of days for official work, enabled 
the superintendent to visit and examine into the condition 
of every school in the county, also to consult with school of- 
licers and secure uniformity, both in the schools and the 
proper school district reports. 

The first brick school house in the county was erected in 
Butler. Work began on the same in the fall of 1869, though 
not completed till the latter part of tiie next year. Located 
at the liead of Ohio Street, on the west side of town, where 
the present enlarged building now stands. Its original cost 
was about Jr^8,000, and was among the first school buildings 
that were furnished with the patent seat and desk. 

Many fine school buildings were erected in various parts 
of the county during the year of 1870, and the two years fol- 
lowing and most of them were furnished with patent school 
furniture. 

In the fall of 1870. Mr. Charles Wilson was elected as 



6:S (jLi) m:tim:i;s" jiistoky 

county super! nteiukuit. Uiuler his adujiiiistratiou, sexcfal 
new districts were or<^anized to meet tiie wants of tlio peo})le 
ill their newly formed settlements. Two teachers institutes 
were held, both in Butler, which were well attended and 
profitably conducted. James Harper succeeded Mi'. Wilson 
in January, 1873, and was the last among the superintendents 
who visited among the schools, by reason of a chaiige in the 
school law. 

Educational matters in Bates County are at pi'i.'sent in a 
higlily prosperous condition. Tiie great majority (^f districts 
having commodious and comfortable buildings seated and 
furnished witli modern ai)pliances. yards fenced, and many 
of them set to trees, the lattei' having Ijeen largely secured 
through the more general observance of Arbor Day, and tlie 
greater interest taken in beautifying our school surround- 
ings. Parents are awakening to the fact that the place where 
their children must spend nearly half of their early life, and 
that during the formative period, should be made as atti'act- 
ive as possible to secure the liest results. We have not yet 
attained all that is needed in this direction, but some prog- 
ress has been made and it will continue to sweep onward, 
always gathering impetus as it moves, until in the not far 
distant future, we shall have reached our goal. 

Under the present school law of Missouri, Bates County's 
school interests are in the hands of a County School Com- 
missioner, whose principal duties are the issuing of special 
certificates when the Institute is not in session, acting with 
Institute Board as ex-officio member of that body, and the 
hearing of cases under the school law coming under liis jur- 
isdiction. He is usually employed as an insti'uctor in our 
Institutes also, but this is not an oificial duty as Commis- 
sioner. 

The standard of our schools is i-aj)idly advancing, as many 
of our teachers are more fully awakened to the responMV)ilitit s 
of their position. Every teacher in the county now attends 
the institute. The number of first grade teachers has in- 
creased more largely than those of tlie lower grades, which 
is partly due to the fact that many of our school officers are 
looking more to the qualifications of t(>achers. and ar(! be- 
coming convinced that "cheap teachers are dear at any 
price." 



OF l'.ArKS (rOLNTY GK 

The indebtedness of most districts having been liquidated, 
school taxes are not so burdensome as formerly, consequent- 
ly a large number of 'districts are now able to have from sev- 
en to eight months of school each year, thereby saving teach- 
ers the trouble of '"hunting a new school" at the end of each 
four months term. This is mutually beneficial to both school 
and teacher, for the too frequent change of teachers is a ser- 
ious iiindrance to the prosperity of our schools. 

In the last fifteen years many advances, both legislative 
and pedagogical, have been made toward the betterment of 
our schools, and we have undoubtedly received some benefit 
from each of them. Tiie Institute law, while Ave believe it 
open to improvement, has been the instrument of bringing 
the teachers together in greater numbers and elevating their 
professional pride and increasing, in a marked degree, their 
proficiency as a class, since in these institutes the inexper- 
ienced are able to gather much beneficial assistance from the 
more experienced. 

And the Text- Book law, while yet in a very crude state, 
perhaps, and subject to much criticism whether deserved or 
not, has been of invaluable aid to our schools by at least se- 
curing uniformity in our texts, and with this help any teach- 
er should be far enough beyond merer text book knowledge 
to expand as necessary, when the text book shall be ex- 
hausted. 

These things, together with the recognized standing of the 
teacher as a professional man, have broadened his horizon, 
caused him to push upward and onward toward the, as yet, 
unattained summits of the mountains of universal knowledge, 
and so working untold benefits to our children for, "As the 
Teacher, so is the School." 

The province of the historian being a truthful and unbiased 
rendering of facts rather than an indulgence in rhetorical 
figures, we here give a few statistics which will the better 
show the progress made from 1870 to 1898 in Bates County's 
schools. 



70 OLD >si:ttlkii.s" histokv 

COMPARATIVE TABLE. 

1870. 1S9M. 

Number of seliool children .^,749 10,0li7 

Number of children attending o, 574 10, 075 

Number of public .schools 91 200 

Number of school houses 78 1 r.5'^ 

Number teachers attending- institute . . 60 201 

Number volumes in school libraries 2,500 

Value of school libraries »^2,250 

Number of trees planted Arbor day 200 

* Owing to our inability to secure the exact number of 
school houses from any reliable record at this time, we only 
approximate it from what we have at hand. 




N. A. WADE. 



Senior Editor of Bates County Weeklj' and Butler Daily Democrat, was 
born in Harrisville. Harrison County, Ohio, April 27, 1S43. 

His tather, Robert Wade, was a nati\-e of New Jersey, and his mother, 
whose maiden name was Elizabeth Matson, was born in Virginia. 

He was reared in Ohio, and educated in its public schools and at 
Franklin College. 

He was a member of Co. E, Fifteenth Ohio Vohmteer Infantry during 
the Civil War and served two years. He participated in tlie battles of the 
Atlanta campaign and at Nashville and Franklin. 

He taught school before and after the war, and was Principal of the St. 
Clairsville (Ohio) High School just previous to coming to Missouri. 
Read law when he could spare the time from school duties and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in Ohio in 1S6S. 

Came to Butler, Mo.. October 23, 1S68, and practiced law until January 
1st, 1871, when he was appointed Deputy Circuit Clerk and Recorder. 
In July, 1871, he and J. Scudder, the latter of whom subsequently became 
President of the Adrian Bank, after he had sold his interest to the former, 
January i, 1882, and since deceased, purchased the Bates County Democrat, 
and the former has been editor of same and is now. He started the Daily 
which he is conducting, in June. 1889. 

He was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention of 1S76 at 
St. Louis which nominated Samuel J. Tilden. Was Postmaster in Butler 
during President Cleveland's first administration. Is holding the position 
of Inspector of Oils for Bates county during absence of Lieut. Wade in the 
Philippines. Was united in marriage to Mrs. M. J. Weed, whose maiden 
name had been Mary J. Dimmett, daughter t)f Wm. Dimmett of Blooming- 
ton, Ills., a native of Maryland, in December, 1S71. They have one son, 
Lieut. Ben R. Wade, formerly assistant editor of the Democrat, now 2d 
lieutenant in the 32d V. S. Volunteer Infantry, serving in the Philippines. 
They had one daughter, who died quite young. 



OF BATES COUNTY. 



THE PRESS OF BATES COUNTY. 



NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY 



Butler Daily Democrat, 

Daily Miniu.g Review, 

Bates CJounty Democrat, weekly. 

The Free Press, " 

Bates County Record, " 

Butler Weekly Times. " 

Bates County Repul)lican " 

Mining Review, •' 

Western Enterprise, " 

Rich Hill Tribun(>, 

The Critic, 

Border Telephone, '• 

Rockville Reflex, 

Adrian Journal, '• 

Border Breezes. " 

Merwin Mirror. " 

Amoret Beacon, " 



Butler, 

Rich Hill, 

Butler. 



Rich Hill. 



Hume, 

Rockville, 

Adrian, 

Amsterdam. 

Merwin, 

Amoret, 



Mo. 



The newspapers published in tiie count,y prior to the Civil 
War, were The Bates County Standard, at Butler, by W. L. 
Perry, 1858 to 60; The Western Times, also at the county 
seat, by W. P. Green, 1860 and 61; The Banner, at West 
Point, by T. H. Sterens. 1859 to 61. All collapsed in the 
early stages of the war, and none were resurrected after the 
close of hostilities. 

The first paper established after the close of the war was 
The Bates County Record, at Butler, in 1866, and it has been 
published continuously since that time. The Bates Countj^ 
Democrat was started by Feeley & Rosser, in 1869, passed 
mider the control of Wade & Scudder, in 1871, and the en- 
tire control was assumed by N. A. Wade in 1882, under whose 
control it has continued to flourish. The Butler Weekly 
Times was established in 1878, by Newsom & Lanhorn, in 



i "J OLD SKTTLKllS II IS TO KV 

1871) Chas. T. McParlaud succeeded Laiihorii, and in 1880 he 
secured control of the paper, but was afterwards succeeded 
by J. D. Allen. 

The Rich Hill Gaz3tte was established at Rich Hill in 
1880. by Huckeby & Eldridge, who were in 1881 succeeded 
bv Eldi-idge & Cobb. In the same year, also at Rich Hill, 
The Mining Review was launched by Thos. Irish, and in 1881 
The Western Enterprise was started at the same place by 
Wiseman & Magill. The Adrian Advertiser was established 
at the new town of Adrian, by E. T. Kirkpatrick, in 1882. 
Tiie Bates County Republican was launched at the county 
seat, also in 1882. It enjoyed a short and somfnvhat check- 
ered career, and was edited in turn by John Brand, Edgar 
Beach and Robert Grierson. Mi'. Beach died soon after as- 
suming control of the paper. 

In her early days Poster had several newspaper ventures, 
and in the last few years has had two different claimants for 
her support, but is now without a local paper. The Adrian 
Register was started in 1880 and puV^lished for aljouttwo 
years. 

During the last decade the following have for a time flour- 
ished and passed off the stage of action: 

The Amoret Chief, by T. J. Trickett; The Bates County 
Globe, at Hume, by Palmer Bros., had a short career; The 
Bates County Populist, at Rich Hill, by A. P. Hackett; and 
The Leader, at Rock vi lie. 

Although we find an occasional wreck along the wayside 
of the newspaper past in Bates County, it has on the whole 
proven to be an exceptionally good tield for the newspaper 
men, as can readily be seen from the number of local papers 
which it supports. Almost every town of sufficient size to 
aspire to any considerable prominence as a trading point, 
supports its local paper. And in turn we can say that the 
county owes much to the earnest and untiring efforts on the 
part of her press to promote every worthy enterpi'ise and lead 
the way in every advance. 

The Bates County Record, the oldest paj^er now published 
in the county, was establislied at Butler a third of a century 
since. O. D. Austin & Son are publishers, the senior mem- 
ber of the firm having been in control of the paper since its 
early days. It is republican in politics, and has led the 



OF I'.ATKS COINT^'. 7:3 

IKirty ill ovory campaign since tlie war. Its senior editor lias 
twice lield tlie position of postmaster at Butler, is prominent 
in Masonic and Grand Army circles and has at all times been 
rei^-arded as on*^ of the leading- citizens of the county. His 
son, E. S. Austin, has been connected with some of the 
leading papers of the state, and is an "up to date" journalist. 
The Record has a large circulation, distributed to all parts 
of the county. 

The Bates County Democrat has been under the control of 
that veteran newspaper man, Col. N. A. Wade, for thirty 
years, is democratic in politics, and its editor is one of the 
party leaders of the state. He was postmaster of Butler un- 
der Cleveland's first term, and now holds the position of 
Coal Oil Inspector for Bates County. His son, Ben. R. Wade, 
who has until recently been connected with him, is now a 
lieutenant in the 32d U. S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment do- 
ing duty in the Philippines. The Democrat has a very large 
circulation. N. A. Wade & Co. also publish The Butler 
Daily Democrat, which is issued from the office of The Bates 
County Democrat. It receives a good local patronage. 

The Butler Weekly Times holds third place in respect to 
age. but is one of the leading papers of the county. It is 
now^ published by J. D. Allen & Co., is democratic ini)olitics 
and receives its share of tiie party's honors and emoluments. 
Mr. Allen was postmaster at Butler from 1893 to 1897, the 
third in succession of newspaper men to hold that position. 
He also stands very high in the councils of his party, and 
has been honored by appointments to other high stations. 
The Times is a model county paper, and enjoys good support. 

The Local News was established at Butler, in 1888, by R. 
J. Trickett, who sold out to B. R. L. Boston, and the name 
oC tile paper was changed to Weekl}^ Union. In May, 1890. 
tiie plant was purchased by the Weekly Union Company, an 
incDrparated concern, and M. V. Carroll was employed by 
the board as editor. He continued with the paper till July 
1^9 3, when he was succeeded by G. P. Garland. He edited 
the Union until March 1st, 1894, when W. O. Atkeson was 
employed as editor, and has continued with it to the present 
time. In November, 1893 the concern was incorporated un- 
der the law witii a capital stock of $2,000. On June. 1. 1895, 
the name of tlie Union was changed to The Butler Free Press, 



i4 ()\A) SKITMCKS IIlS'l(ii:V 

its present name. It is a viij^oroiis, l'eaii(\ss, peoples party 
paper, ably edited, and enjoys a wide cireulatioti and larii'C 
intliience in local atfairs. 

The Bates County Rejiublican. ' establi died at the county 
seat, July, iwut), by Oiiambers & Cohenour, soon afterwards 
passed under control of J. P. Ciiauibers, is a recent appli 
cant for the sup])ort of B^tes County's citizens. It is an out- 
spoken advocate of Rei)ublicanism, arid under tlie manage- 
ment of its energetic young publisher, is making substantial 
progress and lias gained a wide circulation. 

'J'lie Mining Review, at Rich Hill, is now published by 
Walters & Carr. It is a Democratic paper, ably edited and 
well supported, its cii-culation extending over the entire 
county, and enjoys the distinction of being the largest in size 
of any paper in the county. Its pul)lishers also issue a daily 
edition which receives merited su])port and is a linancial suc- 
cess. 

The Rich Hill Tribune is now on its tenth year, and under 
the control of J. C. OWham and R. E. Pichard. editors and 
])ublishers, it is Repul)lican in ]3olitics and its senior editor is 
secretary of the Rei^ublican C-ounty C-onimittee. It, howev- 
er, devotes much space to local news and is a very popular 
paper, especially in the south part of the county. 

The Western Enterprise, also at Ricli Hill is published by 
Col. Wiseman, is Democratic in politics, is ably edited and 
secures its full shar(» of the supp;)rt of its town and its party. 

The Critic was launched at Rich Hill in is^iH, by Warren 
Bros. It is edited by Fred D. Wairen, and is an advocate of 
Modern Socialism. Its editor is a graduate of a journalistic 
Art school, and enlivens his articles l>y timely and chai'acter- 
istic cartoons. The Critic is securing a large circulation in 
the state. 

The paper that made its lirst salutator.\- in the city of Ad- 
rian was the Adrian Advertiscn-, E. T. KirkpTiti'ick. editor 
and proprietor. Published Saturday, September 1). ls,si'. 
Politically the Advertiser was strictly Democratic. The pa- 
per proved profitable both to the public and publisher, hi 
1885 and '86 the Advertiser changed hands and M. H. Sly be- 
came editor until 1888, when it again changed, and was pub- 
lished on Thursday, with E. T, Kirkpatrick editor. In Jan- 
uary 1889. the town C()m]);uiy had charge of it and <'haiiged 




J. FRANK CHAMBERS. 

The subject of this sketch was born in eastern Bates county, 
Mo., January 26, 1868; lived on his father's farm, assisting on 
sanae and going to school in the winter, until he was twenty 
years old, then he entered Butler College where he attended 
school two years. From this school he went to the Ft. Scott 
Normal College which he attended one year. He then taught 
school two years and afterwards farmed and taught school, and 
was also engaged in the mercantile business at Spruce, and at 
Butler. In 1894 he was married to Miss Callie M. Patrick. 
To them have been born four children. 

Mr. Chambers has always taken great interest in politics, 
being a Republican. In 1898 the Republicans of Bates honored 
him with the nomination for Circuit Clerk and he came nearest 
to election of any one on the county ticket. June 30, 1899, Mr. 
Chambers, together with W. C. Cohenour, edited, published and 
sent out the first copy of the Bates County Republican, which 
Mr. Chambers is now editing and publishing, he having pur- 
chased the interest of Mr. Cohenour. By good management 
and hard work he has built up one of the leading Republican 
papers of Southwest Missouri. While Mr. Chambers is yet a 
young man he is quite well known in and outside of Bates 
county. He has a bright future before him. 



OF IVVTKS COINTY i ,) 

the name to The Journal. The coiupaiiy put M. O. Smith 
ill charge. In a short time it wa.s sold to MeBride & Hutch- 
inson. In 1H90 was .sold to Hoj^an & Co. In 1891 it went 
to Hogan & Dowell. At the expiration of two months Dow- 
ell bought Hogan out. J. E. Dowell was then editor and 
proprietor until 1892. when he sold a half interest to L. R. 
Purkey. It is now published by Dowell & Purkey, is an ex- 
cellent local paper and enjoys a good patronage. 

Tlie Rockville Reflex was established in 1893 by Santford 
Hardy, who is still its editor and publisher. It has "enjoyed" 
some opposition in the local iield, but has steadfastly sup- 
ported its town and Iftcality, and in turn earned the hearty 
support of the citizens of that locality. 

The Border Telephone, established at Hume in 1890, is 
published by Moore & Son, and edited by Lewis "Moore, one 
of the bright young new.spaper men of the state. It is "A 
live, progressive, independent local paper, devoted to spread- 
ing the news, and earning a few dollars in cash," as its head- 
line announces, all of which it certainly accomplishes. 

The Border Breezes has been published at Amsterdam 
since 1H94, by S. L. Tathwell, and has received the loyal sup- 
port of its town and community. 

The Merwin Mirror was also established in 1894, and is 
owned by A. J. Oakes, an experienced publisher. It is a 
good local paper and enjoys tlie hearty support of its pa- 
trons. 

The Amoret Beacon has recently been launched l)y H. 
Cline & Son, Eli J. Cline, the youngest editor in the county, 
at the helm. 



7(5 OLD ,si:ttlkus" histoky 



CRIMES AND CASUALTIES. 

( l'i-t'|>iii-t'(l liy Kil. S. A usliii ) 

To detail tlio cviLiK's wliicli liavo boon committod in Bates 
CoLuity since tlio war is an undertaking that is limited by 
the ability to secure facts. There were many, aye too many, 
to give details in fact. Bates County*is not greater in crime 
than other counties in the state. In fact, taking the popula- 
tion in proportion to the other counti<\s in the state, we have 
been particularly fortunate in this respect. We have had 
bad crimes committed here. We iiave nmde a record that 
would bo a credit to any law-abiding community. There are 
not a great many evidences of a vicious community. What 
has happened to mar the pages of the county's history were 
minor crimes, when compared to the bloody records of other 
communities. 

Bates County ha-> led in the good work rather than the 
bad. A history of her churches — her people — iier institu- 
tions of all kinds would prove more attractive and the sub- 
ject would be productive of greater results. We are a law- 
abiding oaiLiiunity in all definitions of the term. We have 
gi'own from a wilderness to a community of prosperous peo- 
ple without any really great crime to ])oint back to with 
shame. People have had their difference and they have set- 
tled them with the knife and pistol, init this ujothod has not 
been popular. A study of the court records will show that 
most of them have been arbitrated by a third person or left 
to twelve good men in the jury box. This fashion wjis es- 
tablished early in the county's history' and it seems to have 
hung on like an octopus. This, of course, has settled many 
disputes that might have otherwise been settled with the aid 
of some deadly weapon. 

There are no "middle" or "dark ages" in the history of 
Bates Couuty. Each year the county has added something 
to its advantage in education or wealth. The few crimes 
that have been committed are tlu^ results of tier^' tempers or 



OF I'.ATKS CorNTV. 77 

'•titM'v waters." Pi-()bil)ly the latter as an example of edu- 
cation cannot be extolled to the skic^. It is what the white 
man brou^-ht with him and it seems to stick. Morally the 
county has a s])lendid record. 

In the pioneer days Bates County people experienced con- 
siderable trouble with bandits of a character produced as 
a result of border war-fare. Horse thieves were plentiful 
until an "anti'" (n-<2,-anization played sad havoc in their ranks. 

There were some of the old copper-headism still to be 
i'ound within tiie confines of the county at the close of the 
war and it was some time befoi'e the troubles were adjusted 
or eradicated entirely. 

There w^ere few crimes that are worthy of record as being 
anything' out of the ordinary. On Au2:ust8. 1807, Aug. Peip- 
mierof Hudson township, shot himself. He was insane and 
had just been returned from the asylum at Fulton. Novem- 
ber the 2nd, sheriff John Atkinson was robbed of $15,03) 
This money belonged to the county and was a part of the 
taxes which he had collected. Jail l)irds found out where he 
kept it and one night one of them by the name of John Walt 
escaped with the money. He was captured and show^ed 
where he had hidden the money, or most of it near the jail. 

Joseph Wix and Judsre Meyers came near being assassinat- 
ed at Pleasant Gap in March, 186R. Neither was hurt but 
a number of shots w^ei'e fired. This bushwhacker warfare 
broke out in several portions of the county, but there were 
rarely any serious results. 

In 1877 Adam Giles (colored) found a dead body on Mound 
Branch. The remains were not identified. The store of 
Brooke & Mains, at Pleasant Gap was entered by burglars 
and goods stolen. 

One of the peculiar shooting escapades that occurred in the 
county was that of Adam Howald, shot by Mrs. Kohrback in 
Charlotte township, in October, 1878. Mrs. Rohrback heard 
a noise in her chicken coop and proceeded to that point, 
stuck the muzzel of the gun through the door and fired. 
Howald w^as a neighbor. 

Road agents held up the La Cygne stage a mile west of 
Butler in 1870. The Greenwade brothers were convicted of 
the crime and sent to the pen. They have both served out 
tlieir sentences. 



78 <)LI> SKTTI.KKS IIISTOUY 

III IS-SL' John F. Stanley, attorney in Butler, was shot and 
killed by Marsliul Mor.ii'an, who had arrested Stanley earlier 
in the 'eveiiinii- on the chari^e of drunkenness. He sought 
the marshal -and pulled a pistol and after tiring two shots, 
which were 'returned by the marshal, sank to the ground. 
He died^a few days later and the city marshal was exhoner- 
ated. 

What probably was one of the most noted crimes ever 
committed in the county was the murder of his wife by John 
T. Lebo in Decembei' is.sO. Lebo resided at Foster. One 
morning his wife was found in a well near the house, dead. 
At first it was thought she had c(jmmitted suicide. Lit( r. 
suspicion fastened itself on the husl)and. He was arrested 
and aftei- a long trial convicted. H(> was sentenced by 
Judge Gantt to be hanged Aug. I'l'. 

His sentence was commuted to life ini})risonment. I saw 
him in 1^<9S in the (Missouri) penitentiary. He was frail and 
emaciated. He was a model prisoner and has ntn'er given 
up hope of being released. He inis probably serv(»d as long 
a sentence as anyone in the ''pen" at this time, llllo. in all 
al)out seventeen years. 

The year lisSH seems to have been a most deploi-able one 
for Bates C-Otinty. In that year J. W. McVeigh, a lumbei-- 
man at Butler, was killed by Harlan Turner; the famous 
doul)le killing of City Marshal Morgan and John P. Willis 
occurred then; D. D. Qnackenbush committed suicide in Elk- 
hart township, and Frank Wright, a fai'mer living near 
Adrian, killed Jesse Cliristoleer. 

The killing of Mc Veigh was a particularly .sad one. The 
two quarreled while under the influence of liquor. Turner 
pulled a pistol and killed him. This occurred in a saloon 
conducted by John P. Willis. Turner was prosecuted, but 
eventually he was released and is now residing in Kentucky. 

Tlu^ murder of City Marshal Morgan by J. P. Willis, and 
Willis' dtntth will always remain the capital crime in Bates 
County affairs. Morgan had arrested VVMllis, who was at 
that time acting as a Deputy U. S. Mar>.hal. He (Willis) w^as 
a hard drinker and it was because of his offensivenesson the 
streets that he was arrested. He was released a short time 
after but he swore he would be revenged. He proceeded to 
Kansas CVity and secured a United States warrant for the ar- 



OK BATKS COUNTY. 79 

rest of Morgan. He came to Butler on the ni^-ht train in 
company with a traveling- man, Price, who he had deputized. 
The two went to Morgan's house and called to him to come 
out. He stepped to the door and as he did so Willis fired 
twice at him. The marshal had his pistol and he fired at 
Willis. The balls from both pistols took effect and both 
men died within a few hours. Price was arrested and thrown 
in jail. At that time I was sent to the jail with a special de- 
livery letter foi- him. On going into the jail I was astound- 
ed to find at lest a dozen men with Winchesters guarding him. 
It was only with the greatest exertion that cool headed citi- 
zens prevailed ou tlie people to allow the law to take its 
coui-se. Price afterward was released. 

Mr. Morgan was one of the ablest officers the town ever 
hail. 

The murder of Jesse Christoleer by Prank Wright occa- 
sioned much comment. Wright's daughter had been married 
aud a party of neighbor boys gave them a chaivori. Wright, 
who had been angered by their actions, shot into the crowd 
killing Christolee]'. Wright was released after a short trial 
and a few months later was mysteriously assassinated. His 
murderer was never <ipprehended. 

About the year '90 Ed Boldin, a negro, killed his wife at 
Kich Hill. He escaped and was never captured. 

Thomas Vaughn, a farmer residing near Cornland, was 
shot and killed by highwaymen in 1890. The murderers es- 
caped. 

Luther Park, son of Jefferson Park, in the Virginia neigh- 
borhood, shot his brother. He was afterward declared in- 
sane. In February 1895 G. A. Heath, a saloOn man at But- 
ler, was killed by Ben Fee, his bartender. Fee was acquitted. 

Sumner Holcomb and night-watch Ale.shire had a difficulty 
and the former killed the latter. After several trials Mr. 
Holcomb was acquitted and he is now a resident of Kansas. 
It was not long after that Aleshire's eldest son had a dispute 
with Philip Mensinger, German baker, at Butler and he was 
stabbed with a bread knife. Mensinger was acquitted. 

D. C. Edwards, jr. is now charged with the killing of Mar- 
tin S. Shafer and his trial remains to be heard. Buck Mc- 
Ginness is now in jail charged with Burcherding's murder. 
The outcoQie is uncertain. E. S. Austin. 



so OLD SHTTr.KKS IIISIOKY 

One hot, dry simmier. :i ([uai'tcr of a century a.ii-o. wIkmi 
tlic witluM-in.u' winds sweepin.u- ovef tlu^ threat westei-n plains 
htid literally Inirnt up all veiz:etati()n and left only boundless 
expanse of ,i;'litteriaii' sand: a host of nun.^ry, disgusted in- 
sects, commonly Icnown as Colorado locusts, or grasshoppers, 
rose up in a miglity cloud and. guided by instinct, chance or 
providence, took an eastward course. Here in Bates County 
we had also suffered quite severely from the drouth, but 
there was still ])asturage for our stock and the corn fields 
were yet green. Late one afternoon the sun, wTiich had 
been shining out of an almost cloudless sky for weeks, grad- 
ually became dimmed by what appeared to be a cloud rising 
from the west. The cloud mounted higher and higher. Vjut 
instead of completely obscuring the sun as all expected, it 
only dimmed its light, leaving it still visible, but of a, strange 
and wildly wi(n'd appearance which attracted the attention 
and caused much apprehension. All seemed to ftnd that 
some great trouble or catastrophy was settling down over us 
but no one had the slightest idea of the nature of the visita- 
tion. Presently an occasional insect would hit one in the 
face, and .soon the unusual number of grasshoppers attract- 
ed attention, but most peo])le weiv loo trou'ohHl to note that 
they were diffennit from the native "hoijper." 

Soon the sprinkle increased to a shower, and tluMi it liter- 
ally rained gi-asshoppers. They kej)t lighting for several days. 
and it is simply' impossible to convey to those who were not 
liere at tlie time any conception of the innumerable throng 
of the.se hungry pests which dropped down upon us. Prairies 
and meadows were soon as clear of grass as if they had 
been s\ve})t with a tierce conllagration. Some sought to 
save their corn by cutting and shocking it. but they covered 
the shocks and ate in and through them. They ate the 
leaves from the trees and hedges. They appeared to have 
unappeasable appetites and digestive organs equal to any e- 
mergency. In the sjiring we planted and then sowed and 
the hoppers they hatched out and ate and ate. The last days 
of May found scarcely a green thing in the county. The 
Governoi" set a day on wiiich all were to pray for deliverance 
from the plague. The people gathered in churches and 
s(diool houses, and prayed, and the hoppers gathered on 
fences, logs, etc. and started for their native plains. 




E. D. KIPP. 

The subject of this sketch is the secoiid child and only son of Wesley 
and Margarette Kipp, and was born in LaFayette, Ind., January i6, i86b. 
Wesley Kipp was born in Schaghticoke, N. Y. , January ii, 1832. Moved to 
LaFayette. Ind., in 1848, and was there connected with the Toledo, 
Wabash & Western Railway until 186S when he moved to Sedalia, Mo. 
During his residence in Sedalia he ran several hack lines south and one 
through Bates County to Fort Scott, Kan., when Bates County was in her 
infancy and prior to the building of the M., K. & T. railway. He is now a 
resident of Butler. Elmer D. was educated in the Sedalia public schools, 
at Hooper Institute and Holden College. His business career began as an 
employe in the general offices of the Missouri Pacific railway at Sedalia in 
1880. He came to Butler, July 20, 1883, and engaged in the furniture 
business. In 1884 he sold out and accepted a clerkship in the Butler 
National Bank. After a few months service there he accepted a position 
in the Bates County National Bank and remained with that institution 
until the Farmers' Bank was established in 1888. He was elected cashier 
of the Farmers' Bank, and has been continuously re-elected every year 
since. He has seen this bank grow from a small beginning to a place in 
the front rank among banking institutions in Southwest Missouri. He is a 
methodical tireless worker, and takes pardonable pride in the great success 
and businness standing of the Farmers' Bank. Always a republican in 
politics, he does not allow that fact to affect or influence his business re- 
lations. As a citizen he is progressive and liberal, always ready with 
energy and means to further any public enterprise for the general welfare. 
He is a 32nd degree Mason, Oddfellow, M. W. of A. and is Past Em. Com., 
Past High Priest and the present W. M. of Butler Lodge No. 254, hence 
his wide influence for good. He was married in 1891 to Mary Myrtle 
McBride of Butler, to which union one child was born, it dying in infancy. 



OF I'.ATKS COIN TV. Sl 



OLD SETTLERS' SOCIETY OF BATES COUNTY. 

OKdANIZATION. 

For soaiG years it had b(_H'n tlioug'lit tliat an oi\ii'aiiization 
of the Old Settlers of Bates County into a society, would bo 
a ii^ood and enjoyable thing. Tiierefore a call was prepared 
and made for a meeting of Old Settlers, to be held in the 
court room at Butler, on Saturday afternoon, May 2!2nd, 
l(i9"r, at which time a large number f Old Sf>ttlers met foi' 
organization. 



PROCEEDINGS OF MEETING. 

L. B. Allison was called to the chair, and Calvin P. Box- 
ley chosen secretary. The president stated the object of 
the meeting brieiiy, and on motion by A. H. Lamb, it was 
ordered that all persons who had resided in Bates County 
continuously for twenty-five years last past, be requested to 
register as charter members of The Old Settlers' Society of 
Bates County. Missouri, with a view to permanent organiza- 
tion. Tellers were appointed by the Chair and the names of 
Old Settlers present were signed to the roll as charter mem- 
bers. 

On motion of William Page the following committee on 
permanent organization was appointed by the Chair, to- wit: 
John B. Newberry, Clark Wix, O. D. Austin, Henry Moudy 
and Calvin F. Boxley. The meeting tlien adjourned subject 
to the call of the above committee. 
Calvin F. Boxley. L. B. Allison. 

Secretary. Chairman. 



On tlie 17th day of July, 1897, the above named committee 
mot at th(> '-Bates County Record" olfice and organized by 



82 OLD SKTTI.Klts" IllSTOKV 

selecting' John B. Newberry chairman, and O. D. Austin sec- 
retary, wh(ni, and where the following' proceedings were had, 
to- wit: 

We, the undersigned citizcms Vvdiose names appear upon 
the roll of membership, having the greatest resi3ect for the 
memories of the past, as well for the participants in the va- 
rious processes, and stirring events whereby the mighty 
changes have been wrought in tliis beautiful and fertile 
county of ours, manifest by comparison of same surround- 
ing a quarter of a century ago, with, the immediate present; 
and believing tliat it is ojdy by cultivating inquiry coacjrn- 
ing the numerous incidonts of real life yet stored in the 
minds of the few remaining oiies of the pionear period, that 
those valuable mementoes of the p.i:5t can be preserved from 
oblivion and further desiring to cultivate more friendly and 
fraternal relations between those wlio have endured the 
hardships, and enjoyed the pleasurois incident to pioneer life 
and early citizenship in our beloved county, to the end that 
we may enjoy mutual benefits therefrom: Do hereby organ- 
ize and establish a fraternal society to be known as t'he Old 
Settlers' Society of Bates County, Missouri. 

1st. The onl3^ qualiiication necossarj" for aiembership is 
that the applicant !-;'i;'.ll have resided in Bates County lor a^ 
jDeriod of twenty-five years next before making appJicatlo.i 
to become a member. 

2nd. No membership fee shall be charged, but all monies 
necessary to conduct the business of the Association shall be 
raised by donation at its annual meetings, and by subs^rip- 
tion. 

3rd. Any persoii, male or female, qualified as above, may 
become members of the Society, by subscribing thereto and 
having their names placed upon the roll of membership by 
the secretary. 

4th. The officers of the Association shall consist of a 
President* two Vice Presidents, Secretary and Marshall, 
who shall be elected from its members at each annual meet- 
ing, and shall hold their respective offices until their suces- 
sors are elected: Said officers when elected shall constitute 
a Board of Directors and Management, with full power to 
act for said Society in all things pertaining to its welfare. 

r)th. Said Society shall m<!et once every year for tlie trans- 



action of its lawful business, at such place in Bates County 
as shall be determhiect on, by vote at each annual meetini?. 
Provided, however, that the first annual meeting- shall be 
held at Butler on the 25th day of September, 1897. 

bth. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at 
eacli annual meeting, and in case of his absence it shall l)e 
the duty of one of the Vice Presidents to preside. 

7th. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep accu- 
rate minutes of the proceedings of each annual meeting, to re- 
ceive all monies donated or subscribed for the benefit of the 
Society, and account therefor, at each animal meeting, to 
keep a record of the death of each member rei^orted to him. 
a]id report sauie at the first annual meeting thereafter. 

^^tli. It shall 1)6 the duty of the marshall to attend at each 
annual meeting, and to use all legal means to maintain good 
order, to tlie end that said meetings ma}^ be harmonious and 
free from disturbance and violation of the rules of the So- 
ciety. 

Uth. Tlie object of the annual meeting of this Society is 
to bring its members together once each year, for social con- 
verse and personal enJDyment, and to estaV)lish, cultivate and 
maintain thfit fraternal feeling one toward another, that 
should ever exi^t among those who have lived neighbors for 
so many years. Therefore no member of this Society shall 
by permitted at such annual UK^etings to. publicly discuss any 
p3litical, religious, or other subject in manner calculated to in- 
jure the feelings or mar the enjoyment of other mem.bers 
there present. The name of any member violating this rule 
s!iall be stricken from the roll- of membership. 

JOth. It shall be the duty of each member to conform to 
the rules of the Society herein set out, and to use every rea- 
anable eifort to make its annual meetings successful and en- 
jjj^able, and we its members pledge ourselves so to do. 

IJth. The above rules may be changed or amended by a 
majority vote of the members present at any annual meeting. 

On motion the foregoing rules and regulations were adopt- 
ed without opposition. 

On motion it W'as ordered that a call be made by the com- 
mittee for the first annual meeting of the So<-w>tv U) l)e held 
at Butler, on Saturday, September 25th, IS; 

By. unanimous consent Capt. Jno. A. Devinny was select- 



•s-t oi.D sKiTLioKs" nisrouv 

ed and. ajjpointed Marsliall for tho lirst annual uieoting and 
earnestly solicited to acce])t tlie trust. 

Oil motion the chair appointed the t'oiiowini^' committee on 
arrangements and order of business, w.ithfull power to make 
all necessary arrangements for the fi^'st annual meeting of 
the Society on September lijth, 1897, to-wit: Calvin F. Box- 
ley, O. D. Austin, Aaron Hart, R. S. Catron and Charles R. 
Radford. Thereupon the committee adjourned. 
O. D. Austin, John B. Newbeiiry, 

Secretary. Chairman. 



CALL FOR FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 

To tiie members of tlie Old Settlers' Society of Bates 
County, Missouri, and all otliers wlio have resided in said 
county for t\venty-ti\'e years last past who desire t<^ Ije en- 
rolled as members of said society: You are most cordially 
invited to meet witii us at Butler, on Saturday, the 25th day 
of September, 1897, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon of said day, 
in our first annual meeting, for the purpose of electing offi- 
cers, and selecting the place where, and the time when, the 
second annual meeting of said society shall be held. After 
which, the meeting will engage in a social })icnic governed 
by the rules of the Society. 

Ail are requested to bring baskets well tilled with good 
things necessary for the sustenance of life; as well, bring- 
any relic of the pioneer period you may have in your pos- 
session, and all jokes and reminiscences of early times in 
old Bates, that you may have stored in your minds, and turn 
them loose on that day. Let joy be unconfined to the end 
tliat we may have the most enjoyable meeting ever held in 
tlie West; one long to be remembered and refered to. 
John B. Newberry, Clark Wix, O. D. Austin, 
Henry Moudy, Calvin F. Boxley, 

Committee. 




PHINEAS H. HOLCOMB 

was born near Vinton, Gallia Count}', Ohio, on April 26, 1841. His father 
was John E. Holcomb and his mother Mary, a daughter of Capt. Phineas 
Matthews, after whom the subject of this sketch was named. Phineas en- 
joyed the advantages of the good public schools of Ohio and was 
a student of a neighboring academy until he entered the Ohio 
University at Athens in 1861, where he remained until 1863, only 
excepting the time he served as private soldier in the 6oth Ohio Infantry 
in 1862. This regiment was a part of the command that ,-siirrendered to 
the confederate army under Jackson at the battle of Harper's Ferry 
September. 1862, and was disbanded the following December at Camp 
Douglas, Chicago, owing to the termination of its enlistment. He then 
resumed his studies in the Ohio University, where he remained during the 
year 1863, when he commenced the stud}' uf law under the the direction 
of his uncle, A. T. Holcomb. He taught at intervals in the public schools 
and the academy where he had formerly been a student. He also engaged 
in teaching for nearly a year near Carlisle, Ky. This was in 1S64 and 1865. 
The following winter of '65 and '66 he spent in the Ann Arbor Law School. 
In 1867 he was admitted to the Oiiio bar at Jackson and shortly after 
moved to Missouri. He arrived in St. Louis in April. 1867. where he was 
adrrfitted to practice law by the Supreme Court then in session. Hon. 
David Wagner, presiding judge, gave him his certificate of admission. He 
went to Greenfield, Mo., and remained there a year practicing law, coming 
to Butler in June, 1868, where he has ever since resided, engaged in the 
practice of his profession. He served as county attorney from the year 
I S69 to 1872, and was appointed postmaster by President Grant, which 
position he held from 1876 to 18S0. 

He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1894 on the Populist ticket, but 
was largely supported by botli Republicans and Democrats. This position 
he filled acceptably for two years. Always taking a deep interest in public 
instruction and in the general advancement of learning and morality, he 
has done the public good service in that direction. He served the city 
upon the school board, and as alderman for a number of years; also was 
one of the Board of Regents of the Warrensburg Normal School for over 
six years. He has been a member of the Presbyterian church since 1878, 
and is now an elder in that church, Married to Miss Mary L. Henry in 
1876, and he and his wife enjoy a comfortable and pleasant home in Butler. 



(^F HATES COUNTY. So 



FIRST ANNUAL MEETING OF OLD SETTLERS' SO- 
CIETY OP BATES COUNTY, MISSOURI. 

/ 

Pursuant to call on Saturday, the twenty-fifth day of Sep- 
tember, 1897, the Old Settlers' Society met at the court 
house square in the city of Butler, in their first annual meet- 
ing. The weather could not have been more propitious had 
it been specially ordered by the committee of arrangement. 
There was a slight shower the evening before, just enough 
to lay the dust and cool the atmosphere, but during the 
night it had cleared, and on the morning of the meeting old 
Sol arose in all his majesty, casting mild rays of sunshine 
over all tilings, animate and inanimate. By 1) o'clock the 
multitude began pouring in from all points of the compass; 
and before 11 o'clock there were not less than 5000 people 
present. At 10 o'clock, after music and song the meeting- 
was called to order by Capt. John B. Newberry, president of 
the Society. Rev. Galbreath, by request, invoked the Di- 
vine blessing upon the proceedings of the meeting, and the 
people assembled. 

An addi-ess of welcome was made by G. W. Clardy, mayor 
of Butler, and was happily resi3onded to by Rev. William 
Jones on behalf of the Society. 

The constitution and by-laws of the Society were read by 
the secretary and adopted without change or amendment by 
a unamous vote. 

In the afternoon, short but interesting speeches were 
made by the following citizens of the county, to- wit: 
Hon. David A. De Armond, A. H. Lamb, I. N. Lamon, Clark 
Wix, Henry Spear, Wm. Page. H. B. Francis and P. H. Hol- 
comb. 

All proceedings of the meeting were intersperced with 
music and song. The Butler Cornet Band out-did itself in 
the way of music chosen, and the ]-endition of the same. 

Too much praise cannot be rendered to the Butler Glee 
Club for the beautiful sonii's it suni>\ botli sentimental and 



comic. "Joe Bowers" as rendered by the Club wai simply 
immense, and certainly was a feature of the entertainment, 
enjoyed by all. May the shadows of the members of the 
Club never grow less and may the hair of the Butcher, and 
Sallie's baby never undergo the Blonding Process. 

During the whole day the secretary and assistant were 
kept busy registering the Old Settlers and at the close of the 
exercises, there appeared on the roll of membership 587 
names. Many of our Old Settlers who had not met for years 
met on this pleasant occasion, and clasped their hand^ in 
friendship, spending the day in social converse concerning 
events long past and forgotten but for this meeting. Many 
old acquaintances were renewed, and many new ones made. 
Nothing of a political nature w^;is permitted to be discussed, 
and not a single offensive or discourteous word was spoken 
during the day. 

The display of old r3lics was an interesting feature of the 
meeting. Especial interest centered in the hammer used by 
Mr. Noah in building the "ark." The hatchet with which 
George Washington cut down his father's clierry tree; tlie 
Indian cluVj, raised by "Big Brave Indian Me" to cut short 
the breathing apparatus of C.iptain John Saiith. and from 
whicli he was rescued by the kind intercession of the bea,uti- 
ful Miss Pocahontas, and many others of less historical inter- 
est among which may be mentioned the following: A latin 
book, 334 years old, exhibited by Robert J. Smith; a William 
Henry Harrison badge worn in the campaign of 1840, William 
Crawford; a hand-made gun, 75 years old, A. B. McFarland; 
Dictionary of 1815, pocket-book made in 1837 and smoothing- 
iron 61 years old, Mrs. Amanda Browning Durst; cap, fifty 
years old, M. J. Beaman; a bible made in 1812 and a copy- 
book 80 years old. S. P. Rodgers; an arithmetic made in 1745, 
M. S. Clay; home-spun counterpane, 90 years old, Mrs. J. 
North; a "little brown jug," liaving been in use for 58 years, 
J. H. Thomas; bullet moulds made in 1820, J. S. Woodfin; 
book bound in skin of a deer, which was killed in Bates 
County 50 years ago, Austin Requa; spectacles worn by Dr. 
Colby, of Harmony Mission, 60 years ago, J. S. Woodtin; 
tea-kettle 115 years old, C. I. Robards; pepjjer-box, 102 years 
old, candle-stick, 100 years old, common gourd, in use and 
125 years old, snuff-box found on battle field during Revolu- 



OF UATKS COLNTY. N( 

tioiiaiy Avai'. J. S. McC'raw: etc.: etc. 

It is to be hoped that the members of the societ}^ will ,i;"ath- 
er all the old relics obt<iinable and place them on exhibition 
at our annual meetini;:s. 

At tour o'clock the prizes <iiv(>n by tlie society were award- 
ed as follows: 

The three jDrizes to the three uien present who Inive con- 
tinuously resided in Bates County the longest period of time; 

ist prize. A rocking chair to J. S. Woodfin. 

2nd prize. An elegant cane to Austin Requa. 

^:!rd prize. A cane to Spencer Sells. 

Prizes to the three women who hav(^ continuously resided 
in Bates Count.y ihe longest period of time. 

1st prize. Dress to Mrs. S. Jackson. 

I'nd ])rize. A dress pattern to Mrs. Jane Rains. 

ord prize. A dress pattern to Mi'S. Edmond Bartlett. 

Prize to first white male child born in Bates County. A 
liat to William Requa. 

Prize to lirst wiiite female child born in Bates County. A 
silk umbrella to Mrs. Sarah J. Requa. I'ncl prize. A silver 
cup to Mrs. James R. Simpson. 

Prize to first couple married in Bates County, present and 
living together. Two line rocking chairs, awarded to Mr. 
and Mrs. John Evans of Shawnee tawnshiiD, who were mar- 
ried November 27, 1S47, and have lived there ever since. 

A tine rocking chair was awarded to William Hedrick, 
present at the meeting, and born December 13, 1H03, being 
tile oldest man. 

A silk shawl was awarded to Sarah Wilcox White, pres- 
ent, and born June 11, IHll, being the oldest woman. 

A sack of best Hour was awarded to Alfred White, as be- 
ing the oldest colored person present, and born as above. 

There being such a rush at the secretary's office during 
the day it is thought the dates given by some contestants for 
prizes were somewhat mixed, but all were satisfied that if 
any mistakes were made it was not intentionally done, and 
will be corrected at the next annual meeting, when other and 
more valuable prizes will be given and greater 'pains taken 
to secure correct dates, but in the main, the awards weve 
most satisfactory to those present. 

A vote being taken it was determined that the next annual 



SS OLD .SKTTLKltS JllSTOUV 

meeting of the Society should be JieUl at Datler. at some 
date to be set by tlie Board of Managers. 

The following named officers were then cliosen to serve 
one year and until their successors v/ere duly selected, to-wit; 

Capt. John B. Newberiy, Deep water Tvvp., President. 

Judge Clark Wix, '• " IstV. Pres. 

G. J. Requa, Lone Oak Townsiiip. I'nd Vice President. 

Calvin F. Boxley, Mt. Pleasant Township, Secretary. 

John A. Devinny, " " " Marshal. 

The thanks of the Society are due and hero tendered to the 
Press of Bates County for the free use of their columns, and 
to all our citizens who have in any manner contributed to aid 
us in tlie success of this meeting. Too much praise cannot 
be awarded by us to Sheriff E. C. Mudd, for putting the 
court house square in such splendid condition, ancl for the 
use of the grand jury room for headquarters for the Society 
during the day. 

At 6 o'clock the meeting was adjourned by President New- 
berry, and all repaired to their homes, feeling that tliey inid 
the most thoroughly enjoyable day of their lives. Not a 
drunken person was seen on the ground, and nothing hap- 
pened to mar the complete enjoyment of the day. All ho})e 
for many happj^ returns of our annual meeting. 

Calvin F. Boxley, Secretary. 



SECOND ANNUAL MEETING. 

AT BUTLER, MISSOURI, OCTOBER 1, 1898. 

The Society met in the court house square, in the City of 
Butler, pursuant to adjournment. The weather, though 
cloudy, was favorable as a promoter of solid comfort, and 
the liberal advertisement given us by the newspaper frater- 
nity brouglit to our place of meeting the largest number of 
people ever assembled there. It w^as believ^ed that, had the 
heavens showai clear in the early morning at about the 
time our "Old People" abandoned their peaceful slumbers 
and cast their weather-eye upwards, it would have been difti 



OF I'.ATKS COUNTY. ^ \) 

cult to liavo properly cared for all Avho would have come to 
our beautiful cit}^ The Queen of the Prairies, and lent tiie 
charm of thcnr presence to our success. To those who so 
liberally donated their funds, and to the newspaper fraterni- 
ty throu.g'hout tne county, who so liberally advertised our 
meeting, we extend oor heartfelt thanks. 

The museum of old relics, in the hall-way of the court 
house, was an interesting feature. So dense was the crowd 
continually surroup.ding the show-cases containing these ex- 
hibits tiiat it was impossible to secure a list and discription 
of the articles, or the names of the owners. There were books, 
knives, bugles and clothing more than 100 years old. The 
old English parchments exhibited by Dr. Everingham, were 
indeed interesting, as were two coverlets on exhibition, which 
w^ere woven by Henry France, an old settler of Bates County, 
in 1S16. and which have been in use ever since. 

The program was fully and faithfully carried out. iVfter 
some beautiful music by the band. Divine blessing was in- 
voked, in a very impressive manner, by Rev. W. F. Jones, 
of the M. E. Church. Bro. Jones has a happy faculty of 
saying beautiful and impressive things in prayer, as well as 
in sermons and lectures. We are thankful for God's blessing 
on our So3iety, which he so earnestly asked. Mayor Fi'an- 
cisco's address of welcome was in warm, hearty words and 
eloquent terms, but he would persist in addressing our Old 
Settlers as. ''Gentlemen of the Jury." It is thought by some 
of his friends that, when he arose to deliver his address, he 
discovered in the audience a beautiful face, and two bright 
eyes fastened upon him, and that the vision reminded him of 
something done, in commission, or left undone, in omission, 
wiiereupon our Mayor became -'rattled." However, we also 
thank you, John, for your kind words to our "Old People." 
Hon. Clark Wix, Vice President of our Society, resj^onded 
to th(3 Mayor's address, in liis usual happy manner, and his 
remarks were appropriate and appreciated by all present. 
The Butler Glee Club sang some beautiful and sentimental 
songs, which were highly appreciated and received by the 
audience with applause. 'J'he Rich Hill and Adrian Glee 
Clubs were on the program for songs, but both failed to ma- 
teralize. Miss Stella Christy's reading of "The Chant of the 
New Union." was much appreciated, containing as it does, a 



i.MI OLD .SKTTLKiiS JIIMCJUV 



beautiful seutiuKnit. 

In the afternoDu quite? a numbor of tlie Old Sottler^ of our 
Society made short, amusing and interesting speeches. Your 
Secretary cannot give the names of all who, participated as 
speakers, as he was kept busy registering new members and 
tagging relics. 

After the speech-making came the awarding of prizes, and 
there were many close contests. Some were disappointed, 
in a good natui'ed way, but the beauty of this branch of man- 
agement is, tliat those who failed on this occasion will come 
in for a^ prize at our next annual meeting, as no member can 
draw a prize a second time until the good fortune lias been 
passed around. Prizes were avvarded as follows: 

For men present who hav^e continuously resided in Bates 
County the longest period of time. 

1st prize. A walking cane, to George Sears, who came to 
Bates County October 20, 1838. 

2nd prize. A -walking cane, to D. C. Edwards, who came 
to Bates County in March. 1831). 

3rd prize. A walking cane, to J. V. Snodgrass. wiiocame 
to Bates County April 1, -1839. 

For women present who have resided in Bates County con- 
tinuously the longest j^eriod of time. 

1st prize. A dress pattern, to Naoma Siiuster, who came 
to Bates County October 1, 1841. 

2nd prize. A dress pattern, to Mrs. M. C. Miller, who 
came to Bates County May 3, 1842. 

3rd prize. A dress pattern, to Mrs. Rebecca Steele, who 
came to Bates County March 1, 1843. 

Prize for first white male child, present and born in Bates 
County. Fine umbrella, to John, H. Thomas, born Novem- 
ber n, 1H31). 

Prize for first female child born in Bates County and pres- 
ent. An umbrella, to Mi-s. S. E. Craven, born October 7, 
1831). 

A large rocking chair, to Geo. W. Rains, as ' the oldest 
white man present, an actual settler and resident of the 
County. Uncle Geoj'ge was born in Tennessee, October 24, 
1812. 

A rocking chair, to Mrs. Sarah Blankenbecker, as being 
the oldest white woman present. Mother Blankenbecker was 



OF UATKS COUXTV. in 

born ill Virginia, May 15, 1812. 

Two iiandsome rocking cliairs, to Mr. and Mrs. John S. 
McCraw, as being the lirst couple married in Bates County, 
now Uving and present, and who have not heretofore receiv- 
ed a prize from the Society. Mr. and Mrs. McCraw were 
married in Bates County on November 16, 1848. 

A sack of Hour, to Fannie Harris, being tlie oldest colored 
person in Bates County, and born a slave. 

As a result of the election of officers of the Society to 
serve until the third annual meeting of the Society; the fol- 
lowing Vvere duly elected, to- wit; 

John B. Newberry, President. 

W. C. Hedden, First Vice President. 

C J. Requa, Second Vice President. 

Cah'in F. Boxle3^' Secretary. 

Joliii A. Deviuny, Marsliah 

Calvin F. Boxley. Secretai'v. 



THIRD ANNUAL MEETING. 

The third annuisl meeting of the Old Settlers' Society of 
Bates County was held in Butler, October 5, 181)^1, with a 
large attendance. Everything passed off pleasantly and all 
enjoyed themselves. The assemblage was called to order 
by tne President, Hon. John B. Newberry, with a few well 
chosen remarks. 

Speeches were delivered liy Hon. D. A. DeArmond, Judge 
W. W. Graves, Judge Clark Wix and others. There was 
singing by the Caloted Glee Club and music by the band. 

The following otticers were elected: 

Hon. John B. NeM'berry, l^'resident. 

Pierce Hackett, First Vice President. 

W. C. Hedden, Second Vice President, 

C. F. Boxley, Secretary. 

James Drysdale, Treasurer. 

J. A. Devinny, Marshal. 

Butler was selected for the fourth reunion in 1900. 

Three prizes were given to the tliree men who have con- 



i)2 OLD SKTTl.Klis' IJISTOliV 

tiiiuously resided in Bates County the longest period of 
time, time of war not computed. 

1st prize. Carving" set, to I. N. Layman. 

2nd prize. Cane, to R. G. West. 

ilrd prize. Cane, to Williamson Keeton. 

Tiiree prizes given to three women present wJio have re- 
sided in the County the longest jjeriod of time, time of war 
not computed. 

1st prize. Dress pattern, to Mrs. Jane Melton. 

2nd prize. Dress pattern, to Mrs. Johanna B. McHenry. 

8rd prize. Dress pattern, to Mrs. A. Durst. 

To theiiirst white male child present, born in Bates County, 
one hat, to C. H. Rains. 

To lirst female child present, born in Bates County, one 
carving set, to Sarah J. Smith. 

The oldest whitn man present now an actual settler of 
Bates County, rocking chair, to J. M. Franklin. 

To the oldest wiiite woman present now an actual settler 
of Bates County, rocking chair, to Mrs. V'V'^ashington Park. 

To tlie oldest married couple who were born and raised in 
Bates County, and have resided here continuously since, 
carving set, to G. N. Requa and Wife. 

To the oldest married couple who were present and have 
resided in tiie Count}' continuously, family bible, to John L.,- 
Ludwick and wife. 

To the oldest colored person present, born a slave, sack of 
flour, to Craig Mills. 




JUDGE SAMUEL LEVY. 

Samuel Levy was born in Germany in 1846, and emigrated 
to America in September, 1863. He started in business in New 
Madrid, Mo., in 1868, and came to Butler, Bates County, Mo., 
in 1876. He has been continuously in business there ever since 
under the firm name of Samuel Levy & Co., and his dry goods 
house has always been one of the leading establishments of the 
kind in this section of the state. He has won and retained the 
confidence of the general public to a marked degree. He is a 
conservative citizen and a successful business man. 

As an evidence of the high esteem in which he is held, in 
1888, when Associate Judge Boswell was killed by lightning, 
a numerously signed petition went to Gov. A. P. Morehouse 
praying for the appointment of Mr. Levy as successor. The 
governor appointed him and Judge Levy served out the unex- 
pired term with credit to himself and satisfaction to the general 
public. 



or BATES COUNTY. 93 

ROLL OF MEMBERSHIP 

OF THE 

OLD SETTLERS' SOCIETY OF BATES COUNTY, MO. 



YEAR C.\ME TO 
NAMES OF MEMBERS. WHERE liORN. HORN. COUNTY. P. O. ADDRESS. 

Atkison, John Virginia 1815-1855 Butler, Mo 

Atkison, Hannah Ohio 1822. 1S55 " 

Allison, Luther B New York .1835.1867 " " 

Allison, Mrs L. B JUinois 18^4.1869 .< << 

Austin, O. D_ Ohio 1841. 1867 " " 

Austin, Mrs. Florence._Illinois 1850...1867 " " 

Alexander, William 1863 Burdett, " 

Allen, G. W 1867 Elkhart, " 

Andrews, R. G._ 1868 Ballard, " 

Alexander, Wm. M 1858 Adrian, " 

Adams, Wiley 1868 Butler, " 

Allen, David F 1869. 

Allen, William 1866 " 

Agee, Mrs. Nancy J Missouri. 1841...1856 Altona, " 

Allman, Wm. Nelson. Ohio _.i862...i868 Amoret, " 

Brown, John W Maryland 1813 ..i866...Ap'le'n City " 

Boxley, Calvin F. Indiana 1841..1866 Butler, " 

Boxley, Mrs. Mary E... " 1844 1866 " 

Brown, Judge David V.Ohio 1835 1870 " " 

Brown, Mrs. D. V.. " 1839 1870 " 

Brannock, J. R Illinois -1S44 1867 " " 

Berryhill, Thomas S 1867 Butler, Mo 

Bartlett, James E. Missouri 1858 " " 

Baker, Jeremiah 1858 Pl'st Gap, " 

Besket, James H Virginia 1822. 1866 Butler, " 

Burrows, William H 1868 

Bentley, John T Missouri 1842.1872 " " 

Bosma, John Holland .... 1840. 1870 " " 

Bell, Aaron H Kentucky 1841. 1869 _ Ballard, " 

Barmock, William H ...Indiana . 1841..1866.. .. Butler, " 

Bailey, Daniel J 1S40 Rich Hill, " 

Boyd, John F ..1870 Butler, '^ 

Black, Carter F .1866.. 



94 



OLD SETTl.KRS IIIS'IORV 



Kentucky 

N. Carolina 



'issouri . . .1840 



Name of Member. Where Born. 

Bowles, Z. H 

Bartlett, Judge Edmond 
Bartlett, Mrs. Edmond.. 

Braden, J. T 

Ballew, Mrs. Ada 

Bellamy, R. Y 

Bellamy, Mrs. R. Y 

Braden, Henry 

Boyd, Ben P 

Bomar, Mrs. Ruth 

Blankenbaker, C. C 
Borron, J. A 
Black, W. H. H 
Black, Mrs. W. H. H 

Biirkleo, Mrs 

Burkleo, Miss E. L 
Burch, Mrs. Mary 

" Monroe 
Braden, R. L 
Berry, John 
Beaty, Fanny 
Bailey, Mrs. Caroline F 
Barron, E. B 
Bracken, Mrs. Ellen 
Barton, J. R 
Brown, C. W 

I. N 
Bowling, Ben F 
Black, W. P 
Berry, Mrs. Lucy 
Boswell, George Vest 
Burkhart, Owen M 
Brown, Benard. 
Bracken, Jacob 
Beaman, John H. . 

Mrs. Eliza 

Blankenbaker, Sarah 

Brown, Eniina 

Bomar, Josepii L 

Black, William (i. i\enturk\' 



Year 
Born. 



1 8 17.. 
1815, 



\'ir!2:inia 



Missouri 



1816 



1823 



Missouri 

Canada . . . 

Illinois 

N. Carolina. 

Missouri 

.Virginia 

Missouri 



1870 

1842. 
1838.. 
1835. 

1^57- 
.1812. 

.1830 



a me to 
County. Addres.s. 

858 Butler, Mo 

843 
843 
870 Mulberry, 

849 

866 Pl'st Gap, 

866 

866 Amoret, 

869... Pl'st Gap, 
86g ... Lone Oak, 

859 Peru, M( 

868. Rich Hil 

S69.., 

869. 

867 

867 

847 

847 

860 

«53 
840 
850 
868 

853 

868. 

S6S 

856 

852 

856 

868 Butler, 

870 Amsterdam, 

852 PleasantCrap, 

869 Reynard, 

867 Butler, 

850 Johnston, 

Peru, 

859 ■ " 

866 PleasantGap, 

869 

870 



Butler, 

Peru, 

Mulberry, 
Ihitler, 

Rich Hill, 

i < 

Butler, 
Amoret, 

Burdett, 



Bnrdett. 



OV I'.A'l'KS COUN'I'V. SJ5 

Year. Came to 
Name of Member. Wliere Bom. Born. County. Addre.sa. 

Burnliam, John H.^ New York i837...i86g Mulberry, Mo 

Beeman, Adaline Illinois i855...iS5g Spruce, " 

Buxner, Adam Germany 1824...1866 Butler, " 

Bell, J. T Kentucky i844...i86g Ballard, " 

Bearce, Rebecca E Missouri 1842. 1844 Raynard, " 

Burton, Taylor Tennessee 1838. 1S72 Peru, " 

Black, Miss Minnie W Illinois 1856.1866 Adrain, " 

Cothrin, Daniel 1857 Burdett, " 

Catron. Robert S Missouri 1839.1870 Butler, " 

Mrs. R. S.. " .... i84g..i87o 

Crooks, Peter 1867 Virginia, " 

" Mrs. Peter -. 1S67 " " 

" James 1S66 '•' " 

Cloud, Dan W Kentucky 1832-.1858 Altona, " 

Mrs. D. W Missouri 1838.1856 " 

Cole, Judge C. I) .. .i86g Ballard, " 

" Mrs. C. D . .1869 " 

Carpenter, Abe 1S67 Butler, " 

Cavin, Mrs. John Maine 1829.1867 " " 

Crigler. Bert Missouri 1867. 1867. Spruce, " 

Conklin, Isaac. Ohio.- 1839.1865 Butler, " 

Cameron, John J Tennesse 1853. 1870 " " 

Crabtree, James ' 1S71 " " 

Caldwell, Wm. H. " 

Crouch, Stephen (col.) i860 " '" 

Cresap, Daniel .1866 Rich Hill " 

Cresap, Mrs. Daniel .1866 " " 

Cowan, William T . . . 1S71....- Virginia, " 

Mrs. W. T 1868 

Cantrell, John G Georgia 1850:. 1868 Altona, " 

Crouch, Craig (col.). 1855 Butler, " 

" J- T. (col.). 1856 

Cole, T. P Illinois 1852 iS6o.Amsterdam •' 

Catron, Thomas W i\lissoiiri .. 1868. 1 868.. " " 

Craig, Miss S. | .186S Virginia, " 

Choate, Dr. John W Missouri 1858 . 1858 .Johnstown, " 

Clark, J. C Kentucky 1843.1869 Butler, " 

Mrs. 1. C '• 1845.1869 "■ " 

" Harvey C Missouri 1869.1869. 



m 



OLD SETTLERS HISTORY 



Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born, Born. County. Address. 

Catterlin, John M Ohio .1870 Butler,Mo 

Mrs. Lucy _i86o.. 

Mrs. Sid Missouri " " 

Cassity, Allen.. Kentucky i8i7..i86g " 

Cannon, H. M Tennessee 1827...1870 " 

" Mrs. O. L Kentucky i840_i87o " 

Clark, Thomas England i845_i868 Nyhart, " 

Mrs. Sarah M Tennessee 1859. 1871 " " 

Carpenter, Friend Illinois 1862...1867 Butler, " 

Coleman, Nancy Kentucky 1S25 ..1854. Johnstown, " 

Judge J. M Missouri 1851. 1854... 

" Samuel L " 18551855 Spruce, " 

Campbelle, W. Mort " 1835 Foster, " 

Cobb, Fred England 1837. 1868 Butler, " 

" Mrs. Harriett Indiana 1842..1858 .. " " 

Cravens, Mrs. S. E Missouri i839,..i83g " 

Cole, Mrs. Serena Tennessee 1814..1865 ..Shobe, " 

Cantrell, Mrs. C. J Missouri 1861...1861 Altona, " 

Courtney, John C._ Ohio 1839 1872 Cornland, " 

Courtney, Mrs. J. C. Illinois 1849 1872 

Croweli, Mrs. Kate " 1871 1S75 Butler, " 

Compton, Mrs. A. E. Indiana 183S 1846 .Spruce, " 

Corgile, Mary Tennessee. 1830 1866 Johnstown, " 

Cantrell, Stephen C. _ S. Carolina. ..1820 1868 Altona, " 

Church, Jesse 'New York 1825 1874 Passaic, " 

Church, Carrie " 1835 1874 " " 

Climer, Mary _ Pennsylvaniai833 1867 .Adrian, " 

Climer, Margaret " 1831 1867 " " 

Compton, Dudley M...... Missouri 1853. 1853 Spruce, " 

Davis, C. G 1868 Butler, " 

Duncan, T. J Virginia 1833. 1S68 " " 

Duncan, Mrs. T. J Ohio ._ 1847 1868 

Durand, John B Pennsylvaniai843 1850 " " 

Drysdale, James. Indiana 1843 1863 " " 

Deffenbaugh, L. P .1868 " " 

Dorn, Fred W Indiana 1845. 1868 .' " 

Dorn, Mrs. Mary J Missouri 1846 1S66 " " 

Denney, Charles Ohio.. 1829 1856 " " 

Donovan, Henry Canada. 1842. 1868 



OF BATES COUNTY, 



97 



Name of Member. Where Born. Born. 

Donovan, Mrs. Mary Illinois 1848. 

Duff, John New Jersey 1831 

Dillon, M. L... Ireland 1838 

" Mrs. M. L Pennsylvaniai836.. 

Douglas, John H 
Dalton, Wm. M 

" Mrs. Wm. M Virginia 1837 

Deem-s, Clark A 

" John . 1812 . 

Al A 

Durst, Mrs. Amanda 

Doan, Wm. J 

Duvall, Wm. F Ilhnois 1866.. 

Decker, Lewis H 

Doolittle, John 

" Mrs. John 

Duncan, John W 

Devinny, John A Ohio 

Darby, Mrs. Jennie Missouri 1846. 

Davis, Geo. W 

Dejarnett, James K Missouri 

Dudley, Mrs. Adelia Illinois 

Dibble, Ed 

Dudley, Carr Kentucky 

Dent, Sylvester 

Mrs. Julia A 

Deffenbaugh, Mrs. A. N 

Mrs. L. P 

Dobbins, Mrs. Ann .. 

Sam C 

Dent, C. A ._ 

Duff, Mrs. Sallie Ohio 1839. 

Duvall, W. P " 1837 

" Mrs. Sarah J. Illinois. i'^39 

Drysdale, Mrs. E. M Iowa . 1852. 

Deerwester, John Germany 1842 

" Mrs. Mahala -Illinois 1842 

Dalton, Mrs. Sarah A Missouri 1856 

Dewese, Wm. H " 1859 

Dejarnett. Mrs. J. K Kentucky 1854 



1853 
1834 



Came to 

County. Address. 

855 -Butler, Mo 

86g " 

868 _ " 

868 " 

847 Maysburg, 

872 ...Butler, 

872 " 

866 
866.. 

866 " 

844 - Virginia, 

869.^ Butler, 

869 " 

872 Culver, 

857 Foster, 

849 " 

868 Adrain, 

857 Butler, 

846 Foster, 

853 " 

868 Rich Hill, 

872 Virginia, 

870 Butler, 

870 - Virginia, 

867 Butler, 
867 

867 " 

867. _ " . 

840 

851.. 

872. 

86g " 

869.. 

869 " 

S53 " 

868..., 

868 

S56 " 

859- 

868 . Rich Hill. 



9S 



OLD SK.rj'I.ERS HISIOR\' 



Where Born. 



Tennessee .1826 

Illinois . 1855 

Pennsylvania 1 822.. 
Kentucky ... 1844 



Name of Member. 

Dillon, John A 

Dixon, Alonzo L 
Deems, Abigail 
Duke, C. C 

Edwards, J. P 
Eichler, G. W 
Edwards, Judge D. C .. 

Edwards, Mrs. D. C 

Ehart, John S. 

Evans, John 

Evans, Mrs. John 
Elledge, William 
Earson, R. 
Earson, Mrs. R 
Edwards, Mrs. Anna L 
Everingham, Dr. Jos. 
Mrs. M. R. 

Eldridge, Wm. W 

Mrs. E. A 
Earhart, Mrs. J. S 
Ellis, I. H 

" Mrs. Kate 

Enlinger, Fred 

Ellidge, William 
Elledge, Fannie 
Erwin, W. H 
Eichler, Lewis C 



F'erguson, John Kentucky 1827 

Franklin, John M " 1816 

Frost, Jed H 

Forbs, Sam Cj 

Fulkerson, John 

Fowler, George W Missouri 1857 

Frey, Rhoda C 

Foster, Robert M Ohio . 1845 

Ficklin, G. W 

Fisher, Sam H 

JMilkcrsonJ. F *. 



Year Came to 
Bom. Coiintv. 



852 Lone Oak, Mo 

857 Butler, " 

866 . " 

865. Hume, " 



Missouri 


-1S39- 


1S50 


Butler. Mo 


i I 


1839. 


1857.. 


( ( ( ( 


i i 


.1838.. 


1839 


Alton a, " 


i I 


1-^35- 


i860 


i I t ( 


Virginia. 


i^'^SS 


1858 


Nyhart, " 


Missouri 


1820. 


1835 


.Altona, " 


" 




1846 


Ballard, " 






1846. 


Rich Hill, " 


Missouri 


1850. 


1870.. 


Pleas. Gap, " 


" 


1846. 


1870 . 


i i i i 


" 




1846 


Butler, " 


England 


1831... 


1873 


it I < 


Iowa . 


^^?,9 


1873 


" " 


Conneticut . 


...1831.. 


1870 


a t i 


New York 


1837 


1870 


" 


Virginia 


1838. 


1S58 


Nyhart, " 


Tennessee. 


.1850. 


1870. 


Butler, " 


Illinois . 


1849 


1S70 


it (1 


Pennsylvaniai8r5 


i 868 


.Adrian " 


Illinois . 


1839- 


1856 


Rich Hill, " 


Indiana 


1S39 


1858 


i i ( i 


Missouri 


1847 


1847. 


Burdett, " 


Missouri 


1836.. 


1856 


Passaic, " 



843 Burdett, Mo 

870 Butler, " 

855 Spruce, " 

856 Amsterdam, " 

871 

857 Butler, Mo 

866. ' = 

868 " 

870 Passaic, " 

865 " " 



(II I'.A'l'F.S COUNTN', 



m) 



Year 
Born. 



Name of Member. Wliere Born. 

Francis, Henry B 

Fr3^ Albertus PennsylvaniaiS4i... 

Franklin, Mrs. J. M Virginia. I'^^So.. 

I'^lickinger, Mrs. E Pennsylvania 

Ford, John A Missouri 1854- 

Foster, Ensley P " 1846.. 

Frazee, G. A Ohio 1858. 

Frost, V. D Ohio 1844... 

Fulkerson, John F Missouri 1S42.. 

Forbes, D. C Kentucky 1S30 



Graves, James F Kentucky 

Griggs, Wm. M " 

Gilbreath, Wm. Illinois.. . 

Graves, Marsh L 

" Robert L Missouri 

Griggs, Mrs. Wm 

Green, J. M 

Giles, Adam (col.) 

Green, J. M 

Gander, Grant 

Gerkin, Mrs. Mary E ..Missouri 
Gilmore, E. E(M.D.) Kentucky 

Mrs. E. E 

Gander, H. D Missouri.. 

Graves, E. E Illinois 



Hackett, Pierce 
Harriman, J. R 
Hart, Aaron 
Hayes, John C 
Holcomb, P. H 
Henry, R. D 
Harper, J. B 
Hutchison, John 
Henderson, A. B. 
Hardinger, W. N 
Heath, D. B 
Henry, Geo. G 
Henr\', Edward . . 



lui gland 

Germany 
Missouri 
Ohio 



Missouri 
Ohio 



.1835- 
1815- 
1815 

1859.., 



1854 
1837 
1846. 
1871 
1 84 1 

1834 

1838. 
1S56 
1844.. 

1870 
1844 



a me to 
Countj'. Afklrcs.s. 

856 Amsterdam Mo 

870.. Butler, " 

S70 .- " " 

871 " " 

8^4 Reynard, " 

870 Adrian, " 

867.. Butler, " 

867 Rich Hill, " 

872 Adrian, " 

854 Amsterdam, " 

866. Butler, Mo 

867 Altona, 

847 Apl'n. City, 
867 Butler, 

866 " 

857 Altona, 

854 

865 Butler. Mo 

S54- 

869 Lone Oak, " 

S54 Peru, " 

867 Adrian, " 

867 

87 1. Lone Oak, " 

866 Butler, " 

Mo 



Towa 1866 

N . H amp. 1 8 1 5 



853 Virg 


mia. 


868 . Butler, 


869.- 


" 


869 


( ( 


868 


" 


866 


" 


S70 


" 


870 




849 




867 B 


Litler, 


866Pleasan 


tGap 


866 


" 


866 


( i 



100 



OLD SETTLERS HISTORY 



Name of Member. Where Born. 

Hedrick, Win 

Harshaw, John W 

Hickman, G. B New Jersey 1829 

Hickman, Mrs. G. B Pennsylvaniai83i . 

Heath, Thomas Tennessee iSig 

Heath, Mrs. Jane.- Kentucky 1825 

Hirni, Chris 

Hurt, Robert A Missouri 1852. 

Hurt, Mrs. R. A Illinois 1856.. 

Hancock, Fayette _ 

Hartwell, Rutus G New York 1828. 

Hartwell, Mrs. R. G_. Canada 1840. 

Hill, Pleasant C 

Hupp, Wm. H Ohio .1852. 

Hupp, Mrs. Julia Illinois.. 1855. 

Hukel., R. J 

Holloway, Wash, H Tennesee 1840. 

Holloway, Mrs. W. H.Missouri 1845. 

Hannah, John W Illinois 1839... 

Hedden, William C. Kentucky 1844.. 

Heath, Mrs. D. B ..Vermont 1819 

Herrell, T. A Missouri 

Harper, Mrs. P. C Iowa 1850.. 

Hardinger, Mrs. M. E 

Hannah, E. E 

Havelin, Ed 

Havelin, Mrs Nancy E 

Heckadon, Philip 

Howe, Ben F 

Hawkins, C 

Hawkins, Mrs. C 

Hedrick, C. D 

Harper, James E 

Harper, Mrs. J. E .■ 

Harris, Mrs. F'annie (col) 

Hill, Pleasant 

Hill, Mrs Pleasant 

Hamilton, Mrs. Mary 

Hughes. Mrs. Jane 

Herrell, W. M Missouri 



Year Came to 
Born. County. 

837 



Addresi. 



Mo 



857 Spruce, 

868 Butler, 

868 " 

857 " 

857 " 

86g .. Papinville, 

857 Butler, 

868 " 

867 " 

866 " 

866_ " 

867 " 

872 

862 " 

866 " 

868 " 

868 " 

866 " 

871 Rich Hill 

866 _Butler 

851 " 

867 " 

867 " 

871 " 

86j5 Passaic 

865 " 

867 Butler 

86g Adrian 

866 Rich Hill 
866... 

S45 

867 . 



Butler 



856 " 

871 " 

87 I <' 

857 

856 Adrian 
851 Butler 



OF r.Al'F.S COUNTY. 



liH 



Year 
Name of Member. Where Boru. Born. 

Herrell, Geo. B Missouri 

Hamilton, VV- B 

Hamilton, Mrs. M, E 

Hust, James Missouri 

Hudelson, Wm. T Indiana 1^54- 

Hughart, Mrs. W. F Kentucky 1836.. 

Herrell, Mrs. Lucina 

Herrell, John L 

Hulse, P. K Kentucky 1829 

Hulse, Mrs. P. K _ 

■Hurt, Mrs. Charlotte ...Kentucky 1820... 

Hickman, Irwin Illinois i860. 

Holcomb, Mrs. Mary Ohio 1853 

Herrell, John F Missouri 1856. 

Hensley, W. Cole Kentucky 1845.. 

Herrell, A. H Missouri 1850 

Mrs. Mary N ... Illinois 1863. 

Henry, Mrs. E. P Wisconsin T852.. 

Hart, Stephen Missouri 1852 

Hill, Mrs. B Pennsylvaniai8i6 

Harper, Roderick F Ohio 1841.. 

Mrs. Olive .. . " .. . 1843 

Horner, Louisa O Missouri . 1838. 

Hutton, Daniel Pennsylvania 1846 _ 

Hardin, Geo. M Kentucky 1844. 

" Mrs. Susan C " 1848.. 

Hancock, Green T Missouri 1846. 

Hughes, Geo. M Missouri 1S42 

Hardinger, W. N Pennsylvania! 837 . 

Harris, T.J Kentucky 

Hill, Emilia A Illinois... 1853. 

Hurt, R. B Missouri 1861.. 

Hedricks, Jane Indiana 1830.. 

Hedricks, G. Y Kentucky 1827. 

Hemstreet, Fannie A Ohio 1846 

Hall, Mrs. J. W Missouri 1862. 

Henderson, A. B Missouri 1849. 

Hall, Lizzie J Missouri 1S48 

Hand, Ellis Indiana 1830 

Housten, N. J Missouri 1842. 



Came to 

County. Address. ^ 

857 Butler, Mo 

868 

847 

857 Butler, 

869 ...Rich Hill, 
859 Butler, 

«45 

867 _ " 

872 " 

872 " 

857 " • 

868 _ " 

856 " 

856 Adrian, 

869 Virginia, 

850 Butler, 

866 " 

867 " 

852..Plea't Gap, 
855 



868.. 
868, 
856. 

873 
870. 
S70 
850-. 

854 

867. 

868 

869. 

86 1 

853 

852 

868.. 

862 

849 
848 
871 
842 



Virginia, 

C i 

Butler, 
Rich Hill, 
Butler, 



Plea't Gap, 
. „ Virginia, 

Butler, 

Burdett, 
. Butler, 



Ballard, 



. ... Butler, 
Lone Oak, 
Rich Hill, 
Rockville, 
. ... Burdett, 
Butler, 



102 



OLD SF.TILICRS HISTORY 



Name of Member. 



Where Born. 



Year 
Born. 



Came to 
County. 



Hedden, Mary E Kentucky _i847 1871 ...Rich Hill, Mo 

Herrell, Mary N Illinois 1863. 1866 Butler, " 



Johnson, Henry i86g Butler, Mo 

Jackson, William L 1856. Johnstown, 

" Andrew ■. i86g_ Papinville, 

Mrs. A i86g.. 

Jenkins, George 1870 Virginia, 

Ben F i8^i Foster, 

Johnson, Ruth 1858 

Jackson, Mrs. M. J _ 1870 

Jewett, P. j Kentucky i839.i868_ Butler, 

Judy, R. T .Kentucky 1839 1872 Virginia, 

" Mrs. S. E Kentucky...... 1839 1872 . 

Jeter, Mrs. Florence M.Missouri 1850 

" Nicholas B Missouri 1844 

Jenkins, J. Rue Virginia i83g...i858 Butler, 

Jennings, Philena Missouri 1842 . 1842... Montrose, 

" John " 1S47.1870.. " 

Jackson, Johnathan N. C ..1837.1872 Spruce, 

Mrs. M. J Illinois 1834...1870 Butler, 



Kimley, W 

" B. T .. 

Kelley, Issac 

Kersey, John Kentucky 1843 . 

King, Newton 

E. W Missouri 1859. 

Kinney, Millard F 

Mrs. Mary 

Kegerreis, Mrs. M.J Missouri 1853. 

Kemper, Judge Wm Kentuckj' 1843. 

Keeton, Williamson Kentcky 1819.. 

" Willard Missouri 1871.. 

Kauffman, Adolph S " 1863 

Kretzinger, I. M Iowa 1864. 

" Susan L Missouri i860. 

Keeton, M. B " 1856. 

Mrs. M. B " 1856. 

Kipp. Mrs. Mertie M .. Ohio 1S66 



1S70 

1868 

1869. Cornland, 

1S71 Butler, 

1870 " 

1868 - 

i86g Butler, 



.1856 . Plea't Gap, 
1854 . Prairie Cit}' 
1845 ... .^..Elkhart, 

1871 " 

1865 Butler, 

1866 Spruce, 

i860 " 

1856 Vinton, 

1856 '" 

1871 Butler, 



OF DATES COUNTY. 



103 



Name of Member. 

Kiinble, Joseph 



Year Came to 
Where Born. Born. County. Address. 

,.Pennslyvaniai825...iS57 Spruce, Mo 



.1824.. 



Ludvvick, John L 

" Mrs. John L 

" Wm Ohio 

Lamb, Alex. H 

Lyle, A. E 

Lockwood, E. G 

Lutzenhizer, T. B Missouri 1843 

Lamon, Isaac N - 

Mrs. I. N 

Lewis, John Jr 

Logan, Mrs. Harriett 

Little, B. F 

" Mrs. Mary.. 

Larkey, Mrs. E. M . 

Lewis, Lucy 

Lyle, Marion R Ohio 1S35. 

" Mrs. Marion R. Wisconsin ...1845 

Lee, Dr. David Indiana 1835 

LaFollett, Tazwell 

Lockhard, E. G Ohio 1844 

" Mrs. Barbara Canada 1852 

Long, John W Missouri 1862 

Lee, Chas Kentucky 1643 

LaFollette, W. Frank.... Iowa 1857 

Lane, J. C Ohio 1831 

Lane, M. E Ohio 1848. 



Tennesse 1827 

Ohio 



Miller, Henderson 

McBride, A. L 

McKinley, W. R 

Mires, George W New York 1S31. 

Mills, Clarence L Missouri 183S 

Mires, Joseph W Missouri 1838.. 

McCraw, John S. Tennessee 1825 

" vSam F -Missouri 1851 

McElroy, William A Illinois 1839. 

McClement, Wm. H Pennsylvaniai850 

McClure, A. S Ohio 1857. 



839 Butler, Mo 

849 " 

839 Spruce, " 

865 Butler, " 

867 " 

869 " " 

843 Spruce, " 

841 Adrian, " 

846 " 

871 _ Hume, " 

S53 " 

869 " 

869 " 

852 . Lone Oak, " 

860 Adrian, " 

867 Butler, " 

867 

867 .. Papinville, " 

872 Butler, " 

870 Passaic, " 

870 

866... Rich Hill, " 

867 Adrian, ' ' 

S74 Butler, " 

868... Rich Hill, " 

869... " " " 



856, Foster, Mo 

870 Butler, 

866.Plea't Gap, 
S69 Virginia, 

870 AdraiM, 

869 Virginia, 

840 Adrian, 

852 Adrian, 

869 Virginia, 

870 Butler, 

871 x'Vdrian, 



104 OLD settlers' HIS']'0RV 

Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. County. .'Vddre.sg. 

Moudy, Henry Indiana 1848...1856 Adrian, Mo 

Morgan, Asa Illinois. 1844.1877 Butler, 

McKee, James J Ohio 1837. 1869 Butler, 

" Mrs. J.J Virginia 1848...1869 " 

McCants, Wm. H Illinois 1835 1868 " 

Mains, Isaac Newton ....New York ....1848. 1870 " 

Milner, James 1859 " 

Miller, Judge G. Claib 1855 " 

McGuire, H. T 1871 " 

Maupin, A. B • i86g. Johnstown, 

Moore, Allran P Indiana 1844. 1870 Butler, 

McKibben, James M Illinois 1849.1867 " 

Mass, D. O 1872 " 

McDaniel, Jas. B. H Illinois 1845 1867 "■ 

Murphy, N. W 1870 

Morrison, Wm. R 1871 Butler, 

Mills, Craig (col.) Kentucky 1828. 1856 " 

Majors, Mrs. Martha 1852 " 

Morse, P. Y 1869 Foster, 

Moler, J. T 1869 Papinville, 

Mrs. J. r '..1869.. 

Marshall, B. E 1857 Burdett, 

S. C 1857 " 

Wm. R , 1858 



McCraw, Mrs. Jno. S Tennessee 1832.1846 Adrian, 

Malony, Mike D 1866 Virginia, 

McGoughey, Dorcas T 1869 Butler, 

Mudd, H. T Kentucky 1848. 1868 Adrian, 

Wm. T " 1834.1866 

Mrs. W. T Missouri 1866 

Mrs. T.J Missouri 1870 

Marshall, Nancy Ohio.. 1812 1872 Butler, 

Mudd, Stephen T Indiana 1823. 1873 Adrian, 

" Mrs. Elizabeth A.Kentucky 1834.1873 " 

" Wm. S " 1854. 1873 

" Mrs. Alice L Missouri 1862.1862 " 

McDaniel, Velma A " 1853.1854 Butler, 

Miller, Mrs. H Missouri 1841.1842 Foster, 

Meloni, Calvin M Ohio 1833 . 1869 ... Cornland, 

McCowan, John B Missouri 1841. 1868 . Rich Mill, 



OF P.ATRS COUNTV. 105 

Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. County. Address. 

Miller, John R... Virginia 1828...1871 Butler, 

Morris, Serena Missouri 1842...1842 " 

Melton, Jane " .1819.1827 Reynard, 

Melton, Benjamine Missouri 1S44..1844 " 

Merchant, Mrs. Sarah " 1850.1850 Rich Hill, 

Minnick, William, \'irginia iSig. 1866 Plea't Gap, 

Miller, W. B_. Missouri 1844:1844 _ Sprague, 

Miller, Charlotte " 1823 .1839 New Home, 

Murphy, Silas Indiana 1833 1869 Adrian, 

McBride, Mrs. M. B Ohio _ 1S41.-1871 Butler, 

Morris, John ...Missouri 1845...1845 " 

McHenry, Mrs. J. G Tennessee . 1833T 1S41 Maysburg, 

Maloney, Pat 1866 Virginia, 

McComb, Walter 1868 Johnstown, 

" Lewis Tennessee .1821. 1849 .. " 

Melton, Joseph F 1849 Reynard, 

McRoberts, Mrs. Mary 1869 ..Adrian, 

Mitchell, D. L _ 1870 

McFarland, Clint B ... 1869 Butler, 

Mrs. C. B.. 1868 .. " 

Maloney, Mrs. Lucy 1867 -Virginia, 

McKibben, Mrs. Etta 

McNanawa, J. M .1870 _ 

Maddy, W. F 1865 Passaic, 

" Mrs. Christina " 

McFarland, A. B 1869 Butler, 

McElroy, Mrs. S. J Ohio 1844 1844 Virginia, 

Mitchell, Geo. W Kentucky 1836.1869 Butler, 

Mrs. M. L " 1847. 1869 " 

Mills, John H Indiana 1S37 " 

McKibben, Joseph M Ohio 1841 

McClintic, Dr. H. C Virginia 183.1.1867 " 

McComb, J. H Kentucky- iS49_iS70 Altona, 

Mitchell, G. W Kentucky 1836. 1869 Butler, 

M. T " 1847...1869 " 

March, John J Missouri 1861 186S . Rich Hill, 

" Alice V" California 1867 1S73 .... " 

Nix, Martin V 1871 Butler, Mo 

Nyhart, Noah 1867 Nyhart, " 



106 OLD settlers' history 

Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. County. Address. 

Newberry, Hon. J. B 1853 Spruce, Mo 

Newberry Geo. W " " 

Neel, H. M 1871 Plea't Gap, " 

Nafus, Robert 1847... " " 

Nash, Doc 1866 _Butler, " 

Nave, Jesse 1879 Merwin, " 

Nafus, W. M - 1855 Plea't Gap, " 

Nave, Mrs. Jesse. 1870.. Merwin, " 

North, Mrs. Martha 1847 -Butler, " 

Neptune, A 1868 Rich Hill, " 

Neal, Sarah 1846 " 

Nichols, H. H Indiana 1842...1870 Butler, " 

Mrs. H. H... New York 1843.1870 " 

H. T Ohio._ 1857 1868 Adrian, " 

North, Joahna Maryland 1825. .1869 Butler, " 

Nickel, Holly P Kentucky 1S68 Virginia, " 

Nestlewood, Isriel .. Pennsylvaniai8i5.. i857_ " " 

Nichols, Stepheh ...Ohio 1826. .1868 Adrian, " 

Owen, Mrs. Crayton Kentucky 1838..1841 Adrian, Alo 

" Andrew B Missouri 1856.1856 _ Butler, " 

Mrs. Edna " 1862. 1862 Butler, " 

" Mart V Kentucky 1S40..1853 Aaron, " 

Ogg, Wm. L Kentucky 1837 1872 _ Butler, " 

Page, William Illinois 1842..1865 Butler, Mo 

Pyle, Dr. Elliot Ohio 1828. 1867 " 

Powell, Booker Virginia 1824. 1867 _ " " 

W. C Missouri 1855.-1868 " 

Peterf, John. , .1870 .. " 

Page, Lewis T 1870 Adrian, " 

Power, M. R 1869 Butler, " 

Park, Washington, Virginia 1857 _ Virginia, " 

Park, W. W 1857 

Park, James W 1865 Butler, " 

Pierce, Jas. S Tennessee .... 1843 1S53 " " 

Page, A. E 1865 Appl'n City, " 

Pentzer, Henry i86g Butler, " 

Pierce, Geo. W Tennessee .. ..iSog 1853 " " 

Porter, J. W 1870.. 



OF KATES COUNTY. 



107 



Year 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. 

Pettus, Mrs. E. J Missouri 1841.. 

Padley, William 

" Mrs. Mary E . ..Pennsylvaniai844.. 

Patten, Dr. M Tennessee 1819. 

Park, J. Wesley 1820.. 

Patterson, Jno. A 

Pyle, John Pennsylvania 

" Mrs. John England 1830.. 

Perkins, A. E 

Pettus, Thos. L_ Ohio 1848.. 

Pettus, Mrs. Mary J Missouri 1825. 

Powei, Mrs. Booker Virginia 1824. 

Padley, William England 1834 

Park, Mrs. Martha Virginia i8i8._ 

Pilgrim, James A Illinois 1850. 

Putnam, N New York 1841 . 

Patterson, John A Missouri X856- 

Powers, J. D Pennsylvaniai828_ 

Porter, E. C Kentucky 1839. 

Radford, Chas. R Kentucky 1839. 

Raybourn, Jas. H 

Robbins, Asa 

Rafter, T. D 

Renick, Oscar Missouri 

O. T Kentucky- 

Robards, Chas. I 

Radford, R. Davis Kentucky 1S36.. 

Riffle, Geo. F.. Pennsylvaniai838 

Ross, Wm. W Scotland 1835 

Mrs. W. W Ohio 1836. 

Requa, Austin 

Reynalds, James Georgia 1848 

Ray, Hickerson Kentucky 1832. 

Ray, Mrs. Hickerson 

Rich, L. M New York... 1841 

Rosser, W. T' Virginia 1843 

Mrs. Marion Oliio 1850 

Robinson, G. A 

Robinson, C. B 



Came to 

County. Address. 

841 -Butler, Mo 

866 " 

845 - " 



857 ' 

857...., Nyhart, 

868.. Butler, 

868 " 

869 " 

868 " 



867 " 

866 " 

859 _ Virginia, 

869 

868 Adrian, 

857 Nyhart, 

869 Butler, 

856. ...Lone Oak 



854 Butler, Mo 

847 Spruce, " 

867 Bnrdett, " 

867 Butler, " 

870 " 



843 " 

854 Spruce, 

867 .Butler, 

871: " 

87 r " 

833.. ..... .. Peru, 

S68 Butler, 

867 Culver, 



866 Spruce, 

867 Butler, 

868.. " 

853 

869. Butler, 



108 



OLD SETTLERS HISTORY 



Name of Member. 



Where Born. 



Year Came to 
Born. County. 



Ray, J. R 

Rains, Caswell H 

Geo. W _ 

Raines, Jane._ .1817. 

Redmond, Squire P Kentucky 

Requa, S. E Missouri i^53- 

Miss S. J 

J- E 

Radford, John R Kentucky 

Reader, Oscar 

Rogers, James M Tennesse 1H15 

Rains, Sarah 

Raybourn, Isaac N Indiana.. 1830 

Requa, G. N . 

Rhodes, Rebecca 

Rogers, Mrs. Susie E _ 

Risley, Mrs. Dora 

Requa, William 

Roach, T. H 

Requa, Sirus J _ 

" John N Missouri 

Ryan, J. J Illinois 1841. 

Riter, Wellington Pennsylvaniai845.. 

Rains, Geo. W Missouri 1848 

Randall, Peter Kentucky 1837 

" Cornelia P Missouri ...1854 

Redgeway, William Ohio 1853 

Rogers, A. M Pennsylvaniai833 

Rain, Sarah M Missouri 1848.. 

Shane, Andrew Ireland 1^39 

Smadding, C. W 

Steele, John 

Sprague, Chas Michigan 1829.. 

Steele, Frank M Missouri 1833 

Snodgrass, James V " 1839. 

Sisson, J. H Virginia 1845 . 

Sherman, Daniel New York 1828 

Sherman, Emma " i^43- 

Steele, Mrs.-F. M Indiana. 1840 



Address. 

Butler, Mo 



869.. 

843 

848_Plea't Gap, " 

«35 

868 " 

870 Peru, " 

H43 " " 

862 " " 

854... Johnstown, " 

843 Adrian, " 

85i..Plea't Gap, " 
8^2. 

866 Elkhart, " 

846 Peru, " 

853 Rich Hill, " 

860 Butler, " 

860 " 

834 Nevada, " 

871 Merwin, " 

847 Peru, " 

841 Peru, " 

872 Butler, " 

866 " 

848 Plea't Gap, " 

869 _Butler, " 

869- " 

857..App'n City, " 

870 Butler, " 

852._Plea't Gap, " 

857 Butler, Mo 

868. Johnstown, " 

867 Butler, " 

867 

«57 " 

859 Spruce, " 

870.. Butler, " 

867 . _ " " 

867 " " 

«43 - " 



OF KATES COUNTY. 



109 



Year 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. 

Scott, B. F Kentucky 1827. 

Mrs. B. F " 1837 

Simpson, Wm. M Illinois .. 1837. 

Smith, Mrs. Mary_ Kentucky 1828. 

" Joseph L Missouri 1854. 

Steele, C. A 

Settle, William- Missouri - 

Scott, Wm. A Kentucky 1851. 

Smith, Isaac M Alabama 1843. 

Simpson, Francis R - 

" Cassandra 

Speer, Henry_ Ohio [841 

Mrs. H " 1850. 

Summers, Hardin 

Sheely, Joseph Italy 1822. 

Straight, James ..— '. '. 

Mrs. Flora - 

Smith, J. T 

Snodgrass, J. V 

Simpson, Jas. R 

Mrs. J. R 

Sells, Spencer Indiana 1828. 

Slayback, Clement B Ohio 1826. 

" Mrs. Martha. Illinois ._ 1841. 

Shelton, W. H 

Shelton, Mrs. J 

Sacre, J. H Kentucky .1859. 

Steele, Winfield S 

Mrs. W. S 

Shaw, John S Indiana ^847 

" Jas Kentucky 1822 . 

Shelton, A. B 

Smith, Decator Missouri 1841 

Mrs. E. C 

" Mrs. Mary J 

Edgar D : 

Mrs. Laura 

Stover, Joseph Missouri 1840 

Smith, Mrs. D. B New York 1817 

Shane, Mrs. Mary Missouri 1852 



Came to 

County. Address. 

866 -Butler, Mo 

S66 . " 

869 " 

855 •' 

855 " 



860 

866 Butler, 

869 Spruce, 

847 Adrian, 

847 •■' 

866 Butler 

866 " 



832 
868 
870 



..Butler, 



867 " 

839 " 

S56 Spruce, " 

844 

833. Papinville, " 

867 Spruce, " 

850 

856 " 

857 Adrian, " 

872 Virginia, " 

S67 Butler, " 

867 " 

850 Altona, " 

850 

856 " 

866. ..Butler, " 

856 " 

860 Butler, " 

869 " 

870 " 

86g " 

866 Bntler, " 



110 OLD settlers' history 

Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. County. Address. 

Sheppard, John " i84i_.i84i Mo 

Smith, Frank Michigan -1845 

James A Illinois i844._i854 Spruce, 

Shuster, Mrs. Naoma Indiana 1829. 1841 Lone Oak, 

Speer, John B .Missouri 1871.1871 Butler, 

Smiser, Daniel L Kentucky 1841. .1873 .. " 

Stammen, Casper Germany 1833. .1S69 " 

Shurbert, Jas. L Kentucky 1845. 1872.. " 

L. A 1852. 1872 " 

Sears, George .Missouri 1832.1838 Adrian, 

Sacre, Mrs. Mary " 1858..1858 Virginia, 

Sweezy, Mrs. Ida Illinois 1854..1872 . Plea't Gap, 

Stubblefield, R. N Tennessee 1843 1S68 Spruce, 

Smith, Sarah J Missouri ...1837 1837 " 

Shelton, Jayn " 1835.-185=; Adrian, 

Stoll, JohnF " 1873...1873 Prairie City, 

Smith, Jephamiah Illinois 1839-1854 Spruce, 

Sells, Mrs. Spencer Missouri 1838 .1854 Johnstown, 

Shay, Alonzo Wilson.. .Kentucky 1858.1869... Cornland, 

Schofield, Elizabeth Illinois 1825. 1849 Butler, 

Tathwell, S. L. Ohio 1864. 1870 Amsterdam, Mo 

Mrs. S. L Canada 1864. 1870 

Taylor, James C 1857 Butler, 

Tucker, Monroe M 1859 Altona, 

Mrs. M. M 1859 " 

Trimble Jesse A Kentucky 1S67...1869 Butler, 

Thomas, John H 1839 " 

Mrs. Hannah 1840. 1856 " 

" James P 1854 New Home, 

Tuttle, Mrs. O. W 1867 Butler, 

Thomas, Aaron M 1842 Peru, 

" James W i860 Butler, 

" Cyrus M 1851 Peru, 

Tygard, Flavins J Virginia 1839 .1870 Butler, 

" N. M Pennsylvaniai839..i87o " 

Trimmins, Ohio 1827...1869 Altona, 

Tilson, Thomas H Missouri 1851. 1851 Rich Hill, 

Geo. W " 1845.1845...... 

Thomas, Mrs. M. J " 1856. 1856 Lone Oak, 



OF RATES COUNTY. Ill 

Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. County. Address. 

" James M Kentucky 1840...1873 Elkhart, Mo 

" Henry G Pennsylvaniai84o . 1844 Peru, " 

Trimble, John _ W. Virginia. 1834. 1874 Butler, " 

" Mary New York 1874 " '< 

Vancamp, John i86g Butler, Mo 

VanDyke, Van Buren : _ 1855.- " " 

Voris, Mrs. Zelda Illinois 1865 . " 

Vaughn, Thos. S Missouri 1870...1875 New Home, " 

Mrs. T. H Illinois 1869. 1872 

Weddle, Samuel H 1843 Butler, Mo 

Woodfin, Jason S N. Carolina . 1833...1840 Foster, " 

Warderman, Ed .: 1868 Butler, " 

Wilcox, Milo- .^... Ohio 1837 i86g " " 

Wolfe, Chas. W " ...1842. 1869 Virginia, " 

Wix, Clark i858...App'n City, " 

Williams, Jas. T Kentucky ...1834..1857 Butler, " 

Wyatt, H. C 1870^ " 

Wyatt, T. M Illinois 1833. 1870 " 

White, James T Kentucky 1823 .1855 " " 

Willard, Hatsell 1871 " 

Wyard, A. F :.... 1868 " 

Wade, N. A 1868 " 

Whipple, Nathaniel L 1866 Plea't Gap, " 

Wilson, Geo. W 1867 Butler, " 

Whinnery, Joseph T Kentucky 1848. 1868 Virginia, " 

Mrs. J. T " 1848 1868 ... 

Wix, Robert B 1848 Plea't Gap, " 

Wilcox, Mrs. Milo. Kentucky 1847. 1858 Butler, " 

Weaver, Felix A 1867 Adrian, " 

Wix, Louis L Missouri 1857.1857 Spruce, " 

White, Alfred (col) 1840 Butler, " 

Woods, Walter R 1856 Adrian, " 

Wilcox, Mrs. Mollie 1845 Butler, " 

Woodfin, Mrs. J. S .' 1848 Foster, " 

Wolfe, Marshall 1866 Passaic, " 

Webb, Louis 1867 Butler, " 

Watters, Chas. H 1871 Adrian, " 

White, Mrs. Mary E Missouri 1841.1866. . . Butler, " 



11(5 OLD settlers' history 

Year Came to 
Name of Member. Where Born. Born. County. Address. 

Walters, J. Robert Missouri 1S46 1857 Mo 

Whipple, Mrs. N. L 1869 Plea't bap, " 

Wyse, Mrs. L 1846 Altona, " 

Weddle James H 1847 Butler, " 

Wyse, Henry H 1867 Altona, " 

Walker, E. W 1S68 Butler, " 

Wolfe, Mrs. C. W 1869 .Virginia, " 

Wright, Dr. L. M i86g Altona, " 

White, Zib A 1856 " 

Wilson, Mrs. G. W 1872 Butler, " 

Wells, James M .1870 

Mrs. S. E 1870 " 

Williams, Mrs. J. T. Kentucky 1S33 1S57 " 

Wheaten, G. Lafe New York 1817...1866 " 

Williams, J. Ed Missouri 1865.1^865 

While, Wm. Martin Illinois 1850..1855 Spruce, " 

Walley, Alvin G " 1848...1856 Amsterdam, " 

West, Chas. E '< 1854. 1868 Foster, " 

Wright, Mrs. C< ra Missouri 1873. 1873 ..Adrian, " 

Woodfin, A. H N. Carolina 1831. 1839 Plea't Gap, " 

Mrs. A. H Missouri 1846. 1870 

Waiters, Mrs. Margaret. Indiana 1819. 1852 Lone Oak, " 

Wolfe, C. W Ohio ._ 1844.1869 Virginia, " 

Williams, Mary J Missouri 1851...1851 Reynard, " 

West, R. G " 1842.1842 Foster, " 

" Angetine A _ " 1844..1850 " " 

Woods, A. B Virginia 1842 .1 866 " " 

Mrs. S. C " 1842...1866 " 

Walters, Bell Illinois i860. 1868 Peru, " 

Wilson, Jas. L Missouri 1841...1852 Rockville, " 

Louisa F ' " 1848..1867 .... 

Wix, A. L " 1855. 1855 Reynard, " 

" Rosa " 1844.1844. Plea't Gap, " 

White, M. S : Kansas 1855. 1856 Butler, " 

Young, James C. M Illinois 1831.1854 Spruce, Mo 

" Mrs. Sarah C... Tennessee ...1844. 1869 " " 

Zim, Geo. M Illinois 1853 Virginia, Mo 

" John " 1839 1S55 



OF r.ATES COUNTY. 



113 



LIST OF OUR HONORED DEAD. 



Burch, Mrs. Mary July 8, 

Berry, John August 20, 

Calvin, Mrs. John __February 13, 

Cassity, Allan May 9, 

Deems, John -...January 5, 

Evans, John May 13, 

Giibreath, William _March 

Hannah, John W March 6, 

Hulse, P. K July 23, 

Ludwick, William _ April 25, 

Lee, Dr. David P January 9, 

Pyle, Dr. Elliott March 25, 

Parks, J. Wesley December 12, 

Rains, Jane July 18, 

Requa, John N ...February 22, 

Ryan, J. J ,,... Jul> 3, 

Thomas, Mrs. Hannah January 28 

White, Mrs. Mary E April 



898 
8g8 
898 

888 



898 
898 
898 
898 
S98 

897 
898 
898 
898 
898 
8g8 



TMEi) SINCE ()C10i;er I, i8g8. 



Mrs. Mary E. Boxley. 
Adam Brixner. 
Judge Wm. Dalton. 
G. W. Eichler. 
Pleasant Hill. 
Mrs. Nancy Marshall. 
Mrs. M. J. Patten. 
Mrs. Mary Shane. 



Judge Edmond Bartlett 

Judge C. D. Cole. 

Ed Dibble. 

Jed. H. Frost. 

Fanny Harris, (Colored. ) 

Israel Nestlerode. 

Henry Speer. 

Jason S. Woodfin. 



JV£ ARE PASSING A WA Y. 




114 



()Li> si;Tii.EkS liisi oks- 



OUR OWN BOYS. 
Coiiipaiix '•/>." 211(1 Miss<>iiri Wi/uii/i-rr 

Names. Rank. Date. 

\^ernon L. Johnson Captain May 12, 

James A. DeArniond ist Lt May 12, 

Benjamin R. Wade 2nd Lt .May 12, 

Robert P. Colger ist Sergt May 4, 

William A. Person OM Sergt May 4, 

Jachin E. Harper Sergt May 4, 

William W. Cannon 'Sergt May 4, 

Alvin T. Keller 'Sergt May 4, 

Milford T. Orear Sergt May 4, 

Charles M. Cameron Corporal ..May 4, 

John Bosma Corporal May 4, 

John W. Hartsock Corporal May 4, 

Charles W. Clardy Corporal . May 4, 

Prederick A. Boxley Corporal May 4, 

William E. Jackson Corporal May 4, 

Charles E. Henry Corporal May 4, 

James M. Graves.. Corporal May 4, 

Albert A. Lal'^ollette . Corporal May 4, 

Clarence E. Smith Corporal May 4, 

William A. Cobbs Corporal Ma\' 4, 

Thomas R. Carnthers Corporal ..May 4, 

Henry E. Nims Musician May 4, 

]^>enjamin V. ]'".asley Musician ]une i(), 

William L. Kelley Artificer .May 4, 

Arthur 1). Morgan Wagoner May 4, 

Aldridge, John 1' Private June 20. 

Bolin, Albert Private ..May iS, 

Bolan, Preston J Private June 17. 

Bain, Donald T Private May 4, 

Brandenburg, John C Private June 15, 

Butler, Elijah A i'rivate May 4, 

Brannock, Newton IVivate May i<S, 

Brummett, William C I'rivate May 4, 

Bryant, Isaac M Private May 4. 

Brown, Tobias H. Private July i, 

Campbell, Prank Private May 4, 

Callies. William J Private May 4. 



I nfantrw 





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itler, Mc 


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oplin, " 


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«>i- I'.A ri';s coll NTS'. II. 

Xames. Kaiii.-. Date. Wliere. 

Cariitliers, Georf^e L Private May 4, 'gM Butler, Mo 

Castor, Charles E Private May 4, 'gH .. " 

Cook, Lawrence K Private May 4, 'gS.. " 

Conklin, Washington W... Private . May iS, 'g,S . " 

Craig, Elmer L Private May 4, 'giS _ " 

Davis, Preston Private May 4, 'g8 " 

Davis, Raymond A Private May 4, 'g8 . " 

Depne, David R Private June 23, 'gS Willow S. 

Easie}', Thomas J Private . |une ib, 'gS Joplin, 

Fleming, AureliusC. .. . Private June. 16, 'g(S.. Sedalia, 

Foster, Lee R Private May 4, 'g8.. Butler, 

h^iller, Carl S Private June 17, 'g8 Sedalia, 

Ganger, Amos A Private... May 4, 'gS. Butler, 

Garrison, Cull C Private ...May 4, 'g8 _ " 

Hargrave, George K Private May 4, 'g8 " 

Harper, Ciiarles C Private May 4, "g8 •' 

Hart, Nathan Private... June 21, 'g8 " 

Hartwell, George F Private May 4, 'g8 .. " 

Heinlien, Rex I Private May 4, 'g8 . " 

Hensley, Harley 1' Private May 4, 'g8 . " 

Huckeby, William Private May 4, 'g8 " 

Hudson, Charles A Private June 20, 'g8 " 

Harris, Thomas B Private May 4, 'g8 Sedalia, 

James, Howard P Private J'lne 20,* 'gS. Butler, 

Jones, Joshua L Private June 16, 'g8Springfield 

Kaune, Quintus A Private May 4, 'g8 l')Utler, 

Kiefhaber, Andy Pri\ate May 4. 'gS . " 

Lamb, John J Private. May 4, 'g8 . " 

Leeper. William Private May 4, 'gS " 

Lockman, Benjamin B Private June 23, 'gS Willow S. 

Lotspeich, Robert X Private June 20. 'gS Buticr, 

Lukenbill. Benjamin H Private May 4, 'g8 " 

McClure. William R Private May 4 'g8 . " 

McCoy, Charles Iv. Private May 4, 'g8 . '• 

McKissick, John W Private. . June 20. 'g8 " 

Matthews, Lee W Private . May 4, 'g8 

Mayes, William E Private .. May 4, 'gS . " 

Meyn, O'HomaA Private May 4, 'g8 " 

Miller, Frank H Private June 20, 'gS 

Missiemer, Chas. S. Private Ma\- |. 'g8 



116 



OLD SETTLERS HISJ'ORV 



Names. Rank. Date. 

Mitchell, Highland Private May 4, 

Morgan, John I Private May 4, 

Mock, Arthur L Private May 4, 

Morgan, Harry C. Private.. May 4, 

Moore, Herbert H_ Private June 14, 

Mudd, Charles E Private -June 20, 

Nickell, Wade H Private June 20, 

4> 
4' 
2, 

4> 
4> 
4> 
4' 
4. 
4> 
ro, 

4. 



Orr, Charles H Private May 

Porch, John W Private May 

Poland, George Private July 

Razey, Ferris W. Private May 

Ritner, Harvey A Private May 

Robinson, John A Private May 

Rogers, Claude R Private May 

Schooley, Charles G Private May 

Schooley, Clarence J .Private May 

Shafer, Joseph F Private June 

Sisson, Oscar P Private May 

Smith, Conley L Private June 20, 

Stancliff, James S Private May 4, 

Stover, William T Private May 4, 

Swadley, Walter Private ...June 13, 

4. 
4» 
4. 
4. 
4. 
4. 
4. 
4. 
4' 
4' 



Titsworth, Isaac A Private May 

Titsworth, Harrison J Private May 

Troup, Wade H -Private May 

Wainright, John W Private May 

Walters, Charles A Private May 

Wheeler, Robert M Private May 

White, Frank T Private May 

Wilmoth, Homer J Private May 

Wolfe, Frederick Private May 

Zinn, Merritt W Private May 



Where. 

98 Butler, Mo 



98._ " 

98.. 

9SSpringfield 

98.. Butler, 

98 

98 

98 



Sedalia, 
Butler, 



98.. " 

98 . Pierce C. 

98. Butler, 

98 '■ 

98 " 

98 " 

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98 Butler, 

98.. " 

98 

98 

98 

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98 

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QEN.IH. C. CLARK, 

Harvey C. Clark, now serving his second term as prosecuting attorney, is a native 
Missourian, born in 1S69; and raised in Bales county, where he has lived during the thirty 
years of his life. He enjoyed exceptional educational advantages. After completing the 
course of study in the public schools of Butler and the Butler Academj', he attended 
Wentworth Male Academy at Lexington and then tlie Scarritt Collegiate Institute at 
Neosho, from which latter institution he graduated in 1S91 as valedictorian of his class 
receiving the degree of A. B. Upon leaving college he entered the law office of Judge 
DeArmond and Hon. T. J. Smith, who were then partners, and in 1893 was admitted to 
the bar by Judge Lay, passing an examination upon which he received the highest com- 
pliment of the court. Upon being admitted to the practice of the law, he entrred into 
partnership with \V. W. Graves, now circuit judge of this judicial district, under the firm 
name of Graves & Clark. This firm was recognized as one of the strongest in Southwest 
Missouri and was engaged in some of the most important cases, both civil and criminal, 
in the jurisdiction of the state. This partnership continued until January i, 1900, when 
Judge (jraves assumed the duties of Circuit Judge. In 1896 Mr. Clark was elected Prose- 
cuting attorney by one of the largest n.ajorities ever given a candidate for a county office. 
During the memorable campaign of that year he established his reputation as a public 
speaker, spending some two months upon the stuni]) in advocating the cause of his party. 
When war was declared against Spain and the president called for volunteers, he ten- 
dered his services to the governor and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Sixth 
Missouri Volunteers, wliich regiment he organized and commanded during the Spanish- 
American war. His regiment was attached to the 7th Army Corps commanded by 
General Fitzhugh Lee, and assigned to the same division with the Third Nebraska, 
commanded by W. J. Bryan. Col. Clark's unassuming modesty, fairness and ability 
made him popular v*'ith his men, and upon his return home Governor Stephens com- 
missioned him Brigadier General of the National Guards of the state in recognition of 
his services and ability. While serving with his regiment in the field he was renomi- 
nated for a second term as prosecuting attorney, and was re-elected by a majority which 
again attested his popularity. Colonel Clark was married to Miss Hattie DeArmond, 
only daughter of Congressnian DeArmond, in June, 1S97, and their modest little cottage 
in the suburbs of the county seat is an ideal home. In politics the subject of this sketch 
is a democrat, and takes an active interest in public affairs, and his wide acquaintance, 
recognized ability and reputation as a public speaker have given him a prominence 
throughout the state attained by few men of his years. As a lawyer, his unswerving 
integrity and fidelity to the interests of his clients, together with his legal acumen and 
oratorical ability have given him a place in tlie front rank of his profes.sion. As prose- 
cuting attorney of the county he has been unusually successful, and his record ol con- 
victions stands unsurpassed. 



(►.K MATKS COINTV. I 1 



SPANISH AMERICAN WAR. 

Ill the spring: of 1898, ^vhen it became apparent that this 
country was about to be drawn into war With the Kingdoai 
of Spain, the citizens of Bates County were found willing and 
anxious to do their whole duty in the battle for humanity and 
freedom. Co. B. of the 2nd Mo. State Militia, organized in 
1890 at Butler, recruited up to the limit, and when the call 
for troops came they were impatiently awaiting the summons. 
They left Butler for Jefferson Barracks, to be mustered into 
U. S. service. May, oth. Before they left Butler they were 
tendered a banquet and farewell reception. Prom Jefferson 
Barracks tiiey went to the camp at Chickaniaug-a, Ga., to^o 
through the hard training which was to fit them for service 
at the front. There many of them suffered from the conta- 
gion of typhoid fevei- wiiich swept through that great camp, 
losing one member, young Conklin, who gave his life to his 
country's service. There, also, their Captain was stricken 
with a stubborn disease which for months kept him at death's 
door, and brouglit to liis bedside his heroic" fiance, who loy- 
ally cast her lot with his, and as his wife assumed the right 
to care for him whom she loved. Prom Chickamauga they 
were sent to Lexington. Ky., and then to Albany. Ga. They 
were mustennl out of the U. S. service in March, 1899, and 
gladly returned to tne pursuits of peace. 

Besides tlie boys of Co. B, a considerable number of our 
patriotic young men found service in other organizations. 
One, Walter Shields, went through the battles before Santi- 
ago, Cuba, survived an attack of the dread "yellow jack, " 
jind then in liis weakened condition, battled for weeks against 
a Hngering siege of typhoid fever. 

Harvey C. Chirk w:is nppointed Lieut. Col. of (ith Reg. Mo. 
Vol.. which was stationed at Jacksonville, Pla., and a con- 
siderable numl)er of Bates County boys were with him. Af- 
ter the close of the war. Col. Clark was appointed Brigadier - 
General Conimanding, 1st Brigade, National Guard. 

There are a number of Bates County boys with the 32d U. 
S. Vol. Int. Reg., now on duty in the Piiilippines. 



118 



OLD SETTLI':ii.s lllSTOUY 



COUNTY DIKECTOiiY. 

Cong, represeiitiitive, (Jtli dist Da\icl A. DeArmoud. 

State senator, 16th district Jolin C. Whaley, 

Judge circuit court, li9th district. . . . Waller W. Graves. 
Repre.sentative to state assembly ..... .CJeoi-ge B. Ellis. 

Presiding judge county court. . Samuel West. 

Judge county court, N. dist Lorenzo D. Wimsatt. 

Judge county court, S. district George W. Stith. 

Judge of probate J. Pletclier Smith. 

Clerk county court John P. Thurman. 

Recorder of deeds Perry K. Wilson. 

Clerk county court Sauiuel T. Broaddus. 

Prosecuting attorney Harvey C. Clark. 

Sheriff .' Elijah C. Mudd. 

Treasurer Andrew B. Owen. 

Coroner Ciiarles A. Lusk. 

Public administrator David B. Brown. 

Surveyor. Robert K. Johnson. 

School commissionei- C. B. Ravbui-n. 



TOWNSHIPS. 

Mingo Grand River Deer Creek 

East Boone West Boone West Point 

Elkhart Mound ' Shawnee 

Spruce Deepwater Summit 

Mt. Pleasant Charlotte Homer 

Walnut New Home Lone Oak 

Pleasant Gap Hudson Rockville 

Prairie Osage Howai-d 

By clioice of her voters Bat<>s County has townshiporgan- 

ization — each townsiiip administers its local affairs. Tiu 

the township officers are. trustee, wlio is also chan-man ot 

the township board: two members of the township boai-d: 

two or more justices of the peace; clerk; assessor; collector: 

constable: also an overseer for each road district. 




SANTFORD HARDY. 

The subject of thi& sketch was born in Barton county, Mo., October 
13, 1868. Later moved with his parents to St. Clair county, Mo., from 
there to Henry county. Mo., where he grew to manhood. He received his 
education in the public schools ot Montrose. At about the age of 15 he 
began his apprenticeship in the Montrose Monitor office. He is a typical 
praetical printer, having worked in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Indian 
Territory and Arkansas. On December 25th, 1892, he was married to Miss 
Laura DeLung, of Rockville, Mo. 

On May i i, 1893. he established the Rockville Reflex, of which paper 
he is now editor and proprietor. The Reflex is one of Bates County's 
brightest papers, and has done much for the city of Rockville with its 
everlasting admonition to the people to "keep your eye on Rockville." 



()!• r.ATKS COINTY. 1 10 



FINANCIAL. 

Bates County has no bonded indebtedness. The follow in,*;' 
reminders of the old band issuin*^ da3's stand against the 
territory included in old Mt. Pleasant township, which was 
nine miles square. 170 bonds of $1000 each, issued in 1885, 
in compromise of the old railroad bonds which, with the in- 
terest accrued during fifteen years of litigation, amounted to 
about f^l*4(i,000. The new bonds drew- interest at the rate of 
I) per cent, per annum. Ten were paid and 160 refunded in 
1891. at 5 per cent. 'J'wenty of these were paid, and the re- 
maining 140 refunded. June, 1. 1897, at 4^ per cent, to run 
twenty years, but may \w i-edeemed as folloM's; $50,000 on 
June. 1, 1902; $50,000 June, 1, 1907; $40,000, June, 1, 1911\ 

There are also 5 of the old Prairie City township, (includ- 
ing what is now Prairie and Rockville townships,) railroad 
bonds outstanding, but they W'ill be ]3aidirj the near future. 



ASSESSED VALUx\TION. 

The assessed \aluati()n of taxable property in Bates County 
for 1899, as fixed by the state and county boards of equaliza- 
tion is; 

Lands and personal 9,162,192.00 

Railroad and telegrapJi 1,028,695.58 

Merchants and Manufacturers 284,756.00 

Total $10,475,643.58 



120 OLD settlers" IJLSTOUV 



SURPLUS PRODUCTS. 

We give below n partial list of surplus ])roducts sliipp(Kl 
out of Bates County during the year LS^H. as given in the re- 
port of State Labor Commissioner. 

Cattle 1 4.071' head. Hogs 07. 463 head. 

Sheep i\ 72( ) ' • Horses <?c mu h-s . J . JMC) • • 

Wheat 41,77M bush. Oats I'sj40 busli. 

Corn ll'lM^S.") •• Flax |()7.0m:] •• 

Hay 14,81 4, 40i> lbs. Flour O.ilOD.sl).") lbs. 

Corn meal..!', 096,, -JSO " Ship stuff .1.'), 766.000 " 

Clover seed.. .46,040 •' Timotiiy seed. 17lM»(»0 " 

Lumber .s2.400 feet Logs ll',0O(» feet. 

Walnut logs ... J 50, 000 ' ' Coal ;}64,1':)4 tons. 

Poultry 909, 0.K) lbs. Eggs 418.P.70 doz. 

Butter 93,432 " Cheese 34.1:90 lbs. 

Dressed men t . . 2l'. 35 1 " Game & iish .... 39. <I9() ' ' 

Tallow ll\ 950 • ' Hides & pelts . . s, ». 4( »9 

Dried fruits. . . .I'D. 135 •• Vegetai)h>s 3i:.si'3 los. 

Nuts 1'4. 570 ■ • Nursery stock . . 6( i. 7( H ) • • 

Furs 5. 2i 1 1 • • Feathi'rs 13, 5i'7 • • 

Petroleum 3.()iH) gal. Castor beans .... i.iHHi bush. 



Note. — Since the article on Harmony Mission was written. 
Mrs. Jane Austin, daughter of Rev. Jones, mentioned as the 
first white child born within the limits of Bates County, died 
at the home of her daughter, in Nevada. Mo. 




JUDGE SAM]|WEST 

was born March 26, 1H44, in Woodford county, Illinois. Re- 
ceived a common school education. At the age of 17 he learned 
the trade of sign and ornamental painting, at which he con- 
tinued until 1862, when he enlisted in the loSth Regiment Illi- 
nois Infantry Volunteers. Was wounded at Spanish Ft., near 
Mobile, Alabama, March 27, 1865, and was discharged August 
17, 1865. Returned home and engaged one year in teaching 
school. Served two years as township assessor, and one year 
as collector. He was married to Miss x\gnes McLaughlin April 
23, 1868, and moved to Bates county. Mo., March, 1870, and 
located in Walnut township. Taught school for several terms, 
and served as collector two years, assessor for nine years, and 
Justice of the Peace for two years. He moved to Butler in the 
spring of 1895. Was elected Presiding Judge of Bates county 
Court in the fall of 1898 and took charge of the office January 
I, 1899, and his term will expire December 3, 1902. He is a 
quiet, conservatiye, honorable man, and has the confidence of 
all who know him. He has always been a Democrat. 



(-F I'.ATI'.S COUNTY. 1'21 



REMINISCENCES. 

Written fort lie Old Settlers' Ui^timj txj H(.ii. r/. />'. Aeirlicrry, 
J'l'cfiiftcnt of till' Old Sidth'rs' Sorietij. 

To THE Reader. — The followiiiii' personal rocolloction.s 
have been written wholy'trom memory, and as I have not 
attempted to write anything" hke a history of Bates County, 
many incidents of interest have been left out which are mat- 
t >rs of record. The eifort to recall and record some of the 
incidents connected with my early residence in Bates County 
has awakened many pleasant memories of the past, for truly 
I can look back to those early times with the very pleasant 
conviction that they wero amon"" tlie most happy of my life 
and, if I have succeeded in writing anything wdiich will in- 
terest or amuse the readers of the history of Bates County, 
I shall feel amply rejjaid for the effort. While I am well 
aware that the recollections are of a somewhat rambling and 
disconnected character, I think I can safely claim the in- 
dulgence of the reader to overlook the faults and shortcom- 
ings of the writer in his efforts to contribute, however slight- 
ly, to the history of Bates County previous to the war of 
lsC)l to 1S()5. 

Yours truly, 

Jno. B. Newbekuy. 



Bates County as I saw rr in IKu). I came to Bates 
County in the spring of IS");], and located at Papinsville. 
There were seven families living there at this time: S. H. 
Boring, P. F. Eddy, F. H. Eddins, Geo. L. Duke, S. S. 
Duke, D. B. McDonald and James McCool. S. H. Loring 
was engaged in merchandising, as was the firm of Eddy & 
Eddins. James McCool kept a dram shop. Ceo. L. Duke 
operated a wool carding machine, the motive power of which 
was an inclined wheel. S. S. Duke worked at the cari)enter 
trade. D. B. McDonald was clerk in Eddy & Eddin's store. 
There were several others employed at work of various kinds 
about town. Pai)inville was at this time the county seat of 



J 22 OI.D SETTf.EHs' TIISTOUY 

Bates County, which at tliat time compriscHl thf territory 
out of which Vernon County was erected. I shall not at- 
tempt to give a history of the changes in the county lines or 
the causes which led up to the same. An old log building 
was serving as a court house at this time. In 1854 a new 
brick court house was erected, which enlivened and greatly 
added to the business of the town. Newcomers began to ar- 
rive, new buildings were erected and the population contin- 
ued to increase until the county seat was I'cmoved in 1850. 
During the year 1858 Richardson & Onay Ijrought in and op^ 
erated a saw mill, for which eight or ten horses furnished 
the motive power. Onay was. accidentally tlirown against 
the saw in the summer of 185-1, receiving injuries from wliich 
he died in a few days. Richardson, assisted })y Eddy & Ed- 
dins, soon changed the motive power to steam and oj^ei-ated 
it until his death, when it was taken charge of by others. 

In the season of 1854 or 55 a bridge was built across the 
river, which was a great convenience to the traveling pub- 
lic as well as to the community. 

In 1852-8-4 and 5 there was considerable emigration to 
California and thousands of cattle were bought to be driven 
across the plains, leaving thousands of dollars of gold coin 
in the hands of the peoi:>le, which made pros]3erou^ times for 
the country. In fact it was sometimes boastingly said that' 
the people all had their pockets full of twenty dollar golt 
pieces. 

The Immediate vicinity of Papinsvillo was sparcv'ly settled 
at this time. Freeman Burrows lived about one and one- 
half or two miles southeast of town; Peter Colin, (j)ronounc- 
ed Collee,) lived about one mile south of him; J. N. Durand 
lived about three miles due east from town. There were 
quite a number of settlers living along Panther Creek and 
its tributaries, among whom I remember W. H. Anderson, 
James S. Hook, who still lives at the srime place, Jaccb 
Housinger and several members of his family wlio had fam- 
ilies of their own, Robert Bilcher and family, William Mil- 
ton, John Gilbreath and sons, William, Simeon and Stephcm, 
were living in what was called Round Prairie, as did Rich- 
ard Stratton, Peter B. Stratton, who was afterwards elected 
Circuit and ('ounty Clerk, lived farther west and on the 
north side of tlie creek. William He:lriclc, who is still living 



or P.ATF.S (OFNTY. 15'' 

and has passed the ninty- fifth mile stone on life's iourney, 
and is hale and hearty. John D. Myres, also afterwards 
elected Circuit and County Clerk. Col. Georye Doug-less, 
George Rains, Widow Blevins and family, mother of Judge 
C. I. Robards: hers was the lirst house I saw the inside of 
in Bates county, and I have greatly held in rememberance 
their kindness, and also th(^ cup of cold coffee they gave me, 
for I was very thirsty as well as weary, and was greatly re- 
fi'eshed by it. The next settlement north of Panther Cre(>k 
was on Deepwater, among wliom I might mention Hiraui 
Snodgrass and his sons, Isaac, Richard, William and James 
\^.. the latter of whom and two sisters, Mrs. White and Mrs. 
.Jciniings, are still living in Bates, widow Lutsenhizer's fam- 
ily, tw(3 of whom, T. ]j. Lutsenhizer and Mrs. Simpson, wife 
of J. R. Simpscm. are still living here. George Ludwick and 
family of whom John L. and Mrs. Vanhoy are living in tliis 
county, and William is t(Mnporarily staying in Colorado, Oliv- 
ov Drake, Peter Gutridge, W. B. Price, Samuel Scott and 
Joseph Beatty. 

On North Doepwuter at Johnstown and vicinity, were liv- 
ing John Harbert and family: John Hull lived in the town; 
R. L. Pettus, J. B. Pettus. Samuel Pyle, James McCool and 
others. 

In the north part of the c nnity on Peter Creek, Elk P(>rk 
and Grand River thor>> were settlements, among others whom 
I remember. Martin Ha(;kler, J. Leakey, Alexander Erhart. 
Austin Reeder, Joseph Reeder, J. C. Gragg, Jos(>ph Highly. 
CJcorge Sears, William Crawford, Martin Owens, Hiram Ed- 
wards, William Prance, R. De.Jarnott, Lewis C. Haggard. 
John Pardee, John Evans, John S. McCraw. the last two of 
wliom tire still living at the same place they were then. 
Enoch Rolling, George L. Smith, Barton Holderman, Ah^x- 
ander Peely, Prank R. Berry, Joseph Clymer, Vincent John- 
son and John Green. 

On the Miami, Mulberry and Maries des Cygnes there 
were a number of settlers, auumg whom wei'e Samuel Dolp- 
hins, Clark Vermillion, 01iv(n' Elswick, H. B. Francis, Bluf- 
ord Merchant, Messrs. Ramsy. Jack.son and J. Rogers. 

On Mound Branch lived Major Glass and widow H<'rs(>ll 
and family and probably otlu^rs. 

About Pleasant (Jaj) and DoulJe P.ranclies the following 



124 OLD settlers' lirSTORV 

names arc romembered; James Ridge, Joseph Wix, William 
Deweere and sons Jesse, Evan and Elijah, Livy Betlioi, 
Peter Trimble, Dr. McNeil, Cornelius Nafus, Hugh Campbell, 
John Dillion, Dr. William Requa, William, George and Aaron 
Thomas, John, Lindsey and Thomas Wine, James Coe, Enoch 
Humphrey, George Requa and family including Austin, 
James, George and Cyrus, Jesse Rinehart, J O. Starr and 
John Hartman. 

On Mission Branch and Sycamore I remember George Wed- 
dle, Abraham Goodwin, Widow Zimmerman and family, Mrs. 
Charette and family, also an Osage Indian half breed named 
Gesso Chateau, who had been educated at Harmony Mission, 
but who still retained the Indian characteristics of shiftless- 
ness and laziness and was fond of whisky, and while possess- 
ing a fairly good education, gave little evidence of it except 
when his tongue got limbered up with liquor. 

Of those who were living on the south side of the Maries 
des Cygnes river I remember M. Parks, Jeremiah Burnett, 
William, Thomas and B. F. Jennings, O. H. P. Miller, Wid- 
ow West and family, Edmund Bartlett, Jason and A. H. 
Woodiin. 

In the foregoing list of names I have intended to include 
only those who were living in the county at the time of my 
coming to the county, but as it is written from memory it is 
possible it mry contain names of some few who came to tlie 
county after 1853. 

There are many left off for the reason that their names 
have escaped my memory at the time of writing, but whoui 
I formerly was well acquainted with. 



GROWTH OF THE COUNTY FROM 1858 TO 1801. 

From this time (1853) on the county settled up very fast. 
Many immigrants came from other states every year, aside 
from those who came from other counties within the state. 
New farms were opened up, new houses built and improve- 




LORENZO D. WIMSATT. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Wilson county, 
Kentucky, in 1847, and moved with his parents to Indiana in 
1854. He was raised on a farm and educated in the common 
schools. He came to Missouri in i<S78 and engaged in farmmg 
and stock raising in Jackson county. The following year he 
was married to Miss Lemora B. Goe. He moved his family to 
Bates county in i8go and engaged in the mercantile business in 
Adrian. After conducting this business successfully for several 
years he sold out and moved on his farm near that town, in 
Mound township, where he now resides. He was a member of 
the Adrian School Board when the High School building was 
erected and was re-elected by unanimous vote of the district. 
Served two terms as city councilman. Elected associate Judge 
of the Bates County Court, for the north district in 1898. He 
is a member of the Baptist church, and is a member of the 
Masonic Fraternity. He was nominated and elected as a 
Democrat. 



aiiMils of all kinds were ;ul(led. New settlements wnre made 
out on the prairie, milps away from timber, wliicli was a sur- 
prise to some of tlie old sidtlcrs most of wiiom came froui 
sections of country li('a\-ily tiiulxn-i'd. and I liavc licardmore 
tlum one of them saij-cly assert that tlm wide op«'n prairies 
of Bates C.)unty would always remain so. as people could not 
settle them up and live ui)on them so far away froui timber: 
and furthermore there was not enougii to support more than 
a small area near the stream-;. How greatly those tii-st set- 
tlers W(n"e mistairtvn in tht^ capal)Ility of the county for the 
su])])ort and maintenance of a large population wc can now 
realize when we s<m> some of the line^t and best improved 
farujs ndles away from tinil);'rand tile owners not caring t(» 
])ossess any timber land. It has been aljundantly dennni- 
strated that much l(\ss timbei- is needed than the early set- 
tler supposed was tile case. Hedges and barbed wire sup- 
l)ly the place of rails for fences, and the rail roads bring in 
building material for other impro\-ements. thei-eby lessening 
the demand for nati\'e tiinbe]-. 

Prom lHr»;] t') Isilil tlie county continued to inci-ease ]-a]~»id- 
ly in p:)pulati()n and weallli. Wy tlu^ end of bs.")7 practii-ally 
all government land liad been ent(M-ed. and mostly ])y actual 
settlers. 

The Border Troubles between Missouri and Kansas which 
commenced in iSjb over the question of slavery in Kansas, 
retarded- the growth of t]ie country somewhat but ])robably 
not to a great extent, but when the war commenccnl in 1S(U. 
the people began to move away from the border on the west, 
some going south and some ncrtii. wliile otliersfui'ther away 
from Kansas into tlie interior of the state; the movement 
gaining impetus as the war progressed, until th(> })romulga- 
tion of General Thomas Ewing's celebrated '-Order No. 11"' 
which was on August 1'.'), ISC);!, then all went, and stood not 
on the order of their going. Such property as they were not 
abh' to take with them Avas left l^ehind. and the amount so 
left was neither small in bulk or insignificant in value and 
most of which was an utter loss to the ownin-s. it afterwards 
being either stolen or destroyed. In the fall f)f Ls(UJ there 
was not a single family left within the confines of Bates 
County which thret' short years before contained tliousands 
of contented. ]')ros])erous and ha])])y ])eo])le. As a proof of 



1-2') OM) SKTTLEUS" IIISTOHV 

tlie number of citizens in the county at tliat time, I will men- 
tion that more than 1200 votes were cast at the general elec- 
tion in ISGO. 

Having in the foregoing hastily written a very imperfect 
sketch of my recollections of the earlier years of my residence 
in Bates county, I shall not attempt to write about the re- 
turn to and re-settlement Of the county after the war was over, 
by those who had been compelled to leave their homes by 
reason of the war, to find in a majority of cases that their 
houses were burned or destroyed together with the other im- 
provements on their places, finding a waste and desolation 
in place of any of the comforts or conveniences of the homo 
they had left behind them when they were compelled to 
abandon the county; nor do I prop3se to mention the name^ 
of the many hundreds of worthy, industriou-; and valuable 
citizens who had settled in our county since tlie war; this is 
within the recollection of many others as well as myself. 



CHARACTER, HABITS AND AMUSEMENTS OF TEE 
EARLY SETTLERS. 

They were generally honest, industrious, frugal and con- 
tented. They were also very free hearted, charitable and 
always willing and ready to assist their neighbors or others 
needing assistance such as they were able to give. There 
were very few of great wealth but nearly all in circumstances 
to live comfortably according to the customs of the country. 
Nearly all had some education, there being some highly ed- 
ucated, while there were others whose educational advantag- 
es barely enabled them to read and write. 

Newspapers were not so plentiful or cheap as at present. 
Neither w^ere mail facilities equal to those we now enjoy. 
The mails were carried on horseback and once each wec^k 
only, but quite a numbsr of papors were taken, and those 
who received none got the news from their neighbors, and 
the people were generally W3ll informed about the world's 
doings. Generally a goodly number of the people went to 
town on Saturday, for the purpose of trading at the stores. 




GEO. W. STITH 

was born near Mt. Sterling, Montgomery county, Kentucky, 
February 27, 1843. Received a common school education. 
Removed to Johnson county, Mo., in 186S, thence to Bates 
county in 1881. He has held the office of Treasurer and Justice 
of the Peace in Deepwater township. Bates county, Mo. He 
enlisted in the Confederate army in September, 1861, and served 
three and a half years, in the First Kentucky, mounted, and in 
the Eighth Kentucky Cavalry, under General John Morgan, and 
captured during his raid into Ob.io in July, 1863. 

He was married in Johnson county. Mo., in 1870, and has 
two children. In i8g8 he was nominated by the democrats and 
elected Associate Judge of the County Court, and is now serv- 
ing the people acceptably in that capacity. He is a consistent 
member of the Christian church. 



OF I'.ATF.S (OriNTY. lliT 

to g'ct their mail, have their plows sharpened or work done, 
hear the news, meet their neis^hbors and some went on £:en- 
eral principals and to have a good time. 

As there were no means of transporting farm products 
to market there was no inducement to open up large farms 
a id raise large crops as there is at present, in consequence 
of M'hich, the people had more leisure for visiting and liunt- 
ing; and game, such as deer, turkey and waterfowl, was 
abundant, and lisli were plentiful in the streams and lakes. 
Visiting was indulged in as if it was a duty as well as a pleas- 
ure. Neighbors living ten or fifteen miles apart would oft- 
en exchange visits, while those who lived from three to five 
miles from each other would go still more often, frequently 
spending a c ay and night or a Jonger time with their neigh- 
bor. House raisings, corn shuckings and such like occas- 
ions called out the neighbors for miles around, and after the 
work was done, usually a dance would follow, when all, both 
young and old, participated if they chose to do so, and usu- 
ally kept it up all night. 

Shooting matches were frequently arranged when the peo- 
ple f jr miles around would meet and contest for the cham^ 
pionship, sometimes a bjef would bci^-ontested for, with tir.st, 
second, third, fourth and fifth choice, the hide being fiftli. 
Occasionally one person would win all five parts and could 
drive hi-; animal home if he chose to do so. 



EDUCATION. 



Education for their children seems to have been eai'^ 
ly looked after and provided for by the early settlers. 
Schools were established in each district, where from three 
to six months school was held each year. Subscription 
schools were frequently provided for when the public funds 
were inadequate. While the public schools of that diiy were 
probably not Up to the high standard of the present, yet 
they were sufficient to furni>»h a really good and useful coni" 
mon school education, quite as helpful and practical as tJiat 
obtained in our more modern scliools: and verv few childi-en 



12b OI.U -SF.TTI.EK.S" HISTOhY 

were permitted to grow up without having at least the rudi- 
ments of an education. 

The interest taken by the early settlers in education has 
continued to grow and increase with those who came after 
them until at tlie present time I think it no exageration to 
say that no county in the state has better public schools, or 
where the people more liberally ;ind earnestly support them, 
materially and otherwise, than in Bates county, and her citi- 
zens all feel proud of them and the excellent public school 
system of the state, and no fears need be felt l)ul that t'i.?y 
will be kept at their pi'esent high slandai'd. 



MIRTHFUL OR AMUSING. 

There was among t'ne people a deliglitfuUy free and easy 
abandon when it came to joking or fun making, yet it was 
seldom that exce]jtion was taken or anger shown by the vic- 
tim, who usually joincnl in the mirth and sought an oppor- 
tunity to return th(^ comjiliment in Icind. I might remark 
here that while it was customary for the p^'opla to drink, 
there baing very few teo-totalers, there was no great numb.n^ 
of drunkards, but when neighbors met in town treating was 
common and an offer to do so was seldom declined by the 
recipient. It would be impossible for me to enumerate the 
number of jokes perpetrated or pranks played, to which I 
was witness, many of which have long since passed out of 
my memory, but a few of which I still remember, and some 
of which I relate here for the entertainuKMit or amusement 
of the reader according as he may view them. I am well 
aware that most jokes and amusing incidents lose muc!i by 
telling, and in relating the following I cannot hope to con- 
vey to the understanding of th(' reader all the conditions and 
])eculiarities which attended and sui-rounded them at the time. 

Myself and a- number of others were sitting in one oL' the 
business houses at PapinviUe one day sotm after I came here. 

Among the number was Stej)hen D , a carpenter by trade. 

A man who lived in the country, whose name we will call 
Mr. Hook f(^r sliort. ste]i]-KHl into the store and in<|uirt>d if 



• •I' 11 \ri:s (orNT^. 12i» 

Ihc saddler was in: (tlicrc was not a iiai-iit'ss slioj) in the 
county at that time.) Sam L . who lo\<'d a joko. pointed to 
Stophon. sayino'. --yi's. there lie is." Mr. Plook stepped uj) 
to liiin and asked if lie couhl .u'et some j-epairs for his saddle. 
Stephen told liim lie was not a saddlei-. and (^xi^ry one in th<' 
rooui be.ii'an to lau.ii'h. Mr. H. at once ])e]-cei\-ed that he was 
the victim of a jolce. Looking- at Ste])lien. who by the wa\' 
was a vei'v stoo]) shouldered man. not to say crooked, he. af- 
ter a moment, tui-ned to the crowd which had been laun-hiui;' 
at hiui and said: H<' loolced so nnich lilve a saddle-tree him- 
s(>lf lliat I tl o.i<i-ht he ou,<;-ht to l>e a saddler." At this sally 
e\-ery one lauifhed more iuimoderately than l)efore and. some- 
wluit to my suri)rise. Ste})h('n joined in as heaitily as anvof 
11m' others. He evid(nitly did not appro\'e of spoilin.ii' .1 jok'e 
oy showin.i^' resentment where no otfense was intended. 

One pleasant Sunday e^•enin,^• several persons, myself 
among' the number, were sitting in the sheltcn- of a sliade 
wiien we noticed a man. I'iding on a horse, coming into town. 
He rode u]) tt) a little group of persons, but very shortly left 
and came riding towai'd us. When he sto})ped in fi-ont of 
our party he was not in a ])ltnisant frame of mind. Without 
uddr(>ssing any one in particuhn-. or making any jH-eliminary 
remarks he. with evidiMit heat. Ijlurted out. "That man up 
there." pointing toward the gi-ouj) he liad just left, ••must 
think I am a d- fool!" Ncme of us had the least idc^a of 
what had transpired to ))ut him in ill humor, but one of th<^ 
crowd answered promptly. • •Yes, yes. that is what he thinks. " 
Tliis was almost too much for the gravity of some of us and 
we laughed at the evident desire of the party who answ(>red 
to agree with the stranger. The man looked at us vyith a 
sort of puzzled expression on his countenance and then in 
evident disgust turned his horse and rode out of town in the 
opposite direction from which he came. I am ignorant to 
tiiis day as to what he got offended at. 

I happened one day to stej) u]) to where a groui)of se\-eral 
persons Avere listening to a man who was usually calh'd liob 
Mc. He was talking about some one who had failed to do 
something, wliicli he tlnnight was the pj'o])cr thing to do 
and ought to lia\'e been done undi'r the circumstances. .Vf- 
ter dwelling on the subject at considerable length and hav- 



130 oiA) ,si:ttli:us' histouy 

ing expressed his opinion fully, as if in palliation of the party's 
shortcomings, made the remark that he was a d — fool and 
would get drunk like all Virginians; (Mc. was from one of 
the eastern states;) About this time he happened to look 

around and saw standing in the crowd Frank , a native 

of Virginia, and at once asked his pardon for the remark. 
Frank assured him that no apology was necessary, as every- 
one knew that a Virginian would get drunk, and that a d — 
Yankee would steal! At this sally everybody laughed, in- 
cluding the principals. Finally some one in the crowd caught 
his breath long enough to propose that an adjournment bo 
taken to where all could liquidate, or liquor up, or some- 
thing of the kind. The motion carried unanimously and I 
passed on. 

The forgoing calls to mind another incident which afforded 
unbounded amusement to those who witnessed it, and the 
more so OAving to the peci>liar habits and characteristics of 
at least one of the principals, and which of course can not 
be imparted in telling it. Col. H. was a Virginian by birth, 
a jolly, genial kind hearted old gentleman as the county af- 
forded, well educated and well informed, and with whom I 
have passed many pleasant moments and for whom I still 
cherish the most kindly remembrance. Tlie Col. unfortu- 
nately posessed the weakness spoken of by Bob Mc. in a 
moderate degree. At one time the Col. and a man whom we 
will now call Hale, were oi^posing candidates for election to 
the office of Representative of Bates County. The Col. fail- 
ed to get votes enough, so was defeated. He charged his de- 
feat largely to reports derogatory to him as a sober, orderly 
citizen, put in circulation by his opponent and his friends. 
Some time after the election the Col. and his late opponent 
met in F. F. Eddy's store at Papinsville, and as the former 
had been imbibing somev/hat liberally, the sight of Hale re- 
minded him of his defeat and of the alleged cause of it. The 
Col. felt decidedly belligerant, and approacliing Hale charg- 
ed him with telling yarns on him during the campaign. This 
Hale denied and attempted to reason with him and quiet his 
evidently excited condition; but the Col. had liis war paint 
on and refused to be pacilied. Waiting his opportunity he 
suddenly let fly with his list, but did not disable or d image 
his opponent to any great extent; Hale caught him. thr.nv 



()!■• I'.ATKs (<)iN'r>. 1 ;; 1 

liiiii to the lloor and proctvcdcd to shut (^ITliis wind. TlicC'ol. 
had scarcely touched the floor when he be.o-an to call to the 
bystanders to take him off. This was done, and the Col. arose 
but was not pacilied and again bei^an the quarrel, presently 
strikinii" at Hale ag^ain. when the same performance was gone 
through with. Foi- the third time the Col. renewed th(Miuar- 
rel. winding up by sti'ikingat Hale and then shouting, "Take 
liim off, take him off!" But tliis time the bystanders were 
not so .prompt to do so, but let Hale choke him awhile, then 
they helped him to liis feet. He did not renew the liglit. but 
left the house shortly afterwards. A few minutes afterwards 
sDmeone who wa^ present at the difticulty met the Col. on 
the street and asked him why he had not hit Hale again when 
he got up the last time. The Col. straightened himself up 
as well as his condition would allcjw, looked straight in the 
face of his questioner for a moment, then shutting one eye, 
answered, "They were too d — long taking him off th(^ last 
tiuie!" It is perhaps needless to add that the trouble was 
never renewed, or that Hale liad any intention of doing the 
Col. any serious harm. 

Going to my work one morning I mot Isaac Wine, a young- 
man who was employed by P. F. Eddy, as hostler, general 
utility man and helper about the place, who, in cutting sheaf 
oats, got his linger too far through and cut about half an 
inch off the fore finger of his left hand. He hunted around 
among the cut oats until he found the severed portion of his 
finger, then taking it in his right hand he started towards 
the house. Noticing the blood I halted and made inquiry of 
him as to what bad happened. He bath told and showed me 
what had befallen his linger. I asked if it was causing him 
jnuch painy Looking lirst at the stub, he held the severed 
piece in his othei- hand and looked at that; tiien looking at 
me he answered as he presented the piece of finger, "Tliis 
end does not hurt a bit. but, (holding out the stub,) tliis end 
hurts like the devil!" As much as I sympathized with him 
t]iis was too much for my gravity and I laughed heartily at 
the singular and quaint reply. He looked at me in a soi'l of 
puzzled manner, th(^n laughed himself, but evidently merely 
Ijecause I did, not because he realized that there was any- 
thing in his reply to my question that was laughabh\ I 
doubt if h(> (>vf^r understood what I was lauii'liing at. 



1 :',.> OLD si:iri,i:i;s iiisiom' 

Eliliu I -. ufter lla^'hli^■ iuibibcd a coiisldci-ablc ([uuntity oi' 
tau.iilelbot. strolled into the old lo^- court house at Papins- 
N'ille where Judge B — was holding Probate Court, and as he 
was feeling rather salubrious himself, wanted to amuse and 
entertain those around him by joking with and talking to 
them, apparently oblivious of the fact that court was in ces- 
sion for the purpose of transacting business. Tlie Judge 
spoke to him asking him to keep quiet, but without any per- 
ceptable elfect on Elihu; tinally the judge, after having 
spoken to him several tim3>, told Ixim that lie should line him 
ten d'jllars for C3ntympt of C3urt. At this Elihu a,t first look- 
ed surprised and then apparently became indignant. Strug- 
gling to his feet and steadying himself as well as li(> Avas able 
he looked at the Court as h(^ replied, "Well-hie -Judge. I 
reckvon, by G — I you will find me the money to pay it with, 
wont youV He presently walked out of the hous(» with as 
much dignity as he could command. This ejiisode caused 
considerable amusement among the sppctato]"s and there was 
a quiet twinkle in the eyes of the Judge and a i)erceptible 
relaxation of the muscles of his mouth, but th<> dignity of 
the court was j)reserved. As Elihu 's earthly possessions 
consisted of the clothes he wore at the time, and as tlu re 
was no jail in which to confine any one, the Court could not 
well enforce the payment of the fine had he earnestly desir- 
ed to do so, but I am of the opinion tliat the judge accom- 
plished his object by getting rid of the disturbing element, 
thereby restoring order in court, and probably entered a mcm- 
tal remittal of the fine. 

Having already occupied more space than I intended, and 
not wisliing to weary any reader of the History of Bates (]o. 
or discourage the publisher by unnecessary i^rolixity, I take 
leave of the subject, feeling that if the reader derives the 
pleasure in reading that I have expsrienced in recalling the 
past, I shall be rewarded for any contributions I ha\'e been 
able to make to the county's history. 




CHAS. A. DENTON. 

Charles A. Denton was born in Adams County, •Illinois, 
September 25, 1854. His father's name is E. P. Denton, a 
farmer of Hancock County, Illinois; his mother's maiden name 
was Jemima Whitney, and both were natives of Kentucky. 
Charles led the average uneventful life of a boy on a farm. 
He was educated at the Carthage Lutheran College, and the In- 
dustrial University at Champaign. He taught school f< r several 
terms. He read law with the firm of McCrary, Hagerman & 
McCrary at Keokuk, Iowa, and was admitted to the bar Feb- 
ruary 28, 1880, and began the practice of his profession at 
Keokuk, but shortly afterwards removed his family to Rich 
Hill, Mo. In 1888 he moved to Butler where he now resides, and 
is devoted to his professional duties, being the junior member of 
the firm of Smith & Denton, one of the strongest law firms in the 
city. He has a wife and two children, lives in a commodious 
home and enjoys the confidence and respect of the people. 

Politically Mr. Denton has always affiliated with the Re- 
publican party, and has been repeatedly honored by his party 
with important offices, and although defeated he has always run 
ahead of his ticket. In i8g8 he was nominated for Judge of 
the 29th Judicial Circuit, and made a creditable race against 
overwhelming odds. He is a member of the Republican State 
Central Committee for this congressional district, and is in the 
way of political preferment. 

He is a clean, conservative man; and in his profession 
careful, faithful and successful. 



OK JJATlvs COINTV. ]:]'.', 



FIFTY YEfIl?S fLCO. 

Wiillfii f,,r Tlic Old St'lilrrs' II i xlorij, hij 
rfitd £i.' (' I. JiohonI s. 

PRAIRIES FIFTY YEARS AGO. 

No man will ever be able toimitatc the beauty of land.scai>e 
and variety of scenery of the natural prairies of the Great 
West, because of their vastness and their o'l'pat variety of 
products, many of which are extinct. 

Flowers that ^^'rew spontaneously and occupied (n^ery sea- 
son, from earliest spring to latest fall, excelled any collec- 
tion man could gather in a life-time. Lilies, roses, phloxes, 
violets, wild chr3^santhcmums. sino:le petunas, crimson as- 
clepias, snow drops — brilliant and goro'eous flowers for every 
season — were here to be enjoyed for their beauty as land- 
scape decorations, or to be plucked at will. The air was red- 
olent with their perfume; their sweets were free for the 
honey-makers. 

The grass that grew everywhere was more nutritious than 
any meadoM^ of modei-n days. Fruits in great variety grew 
in the wooded districts along the water courses and ripened 
in succession^-an abundant sujiply for the wants of all. 
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, wild 
apples, blackhaws, grapes of large size and excellent flavor, 
persimmons, pawpaws, pecan nuts, black walnuts so plenti- 
ful that they could be scooped up with a shovel. 

Bees stored their honey in hollow trees so abundantly that 
it could be gathered V>y the barrel-full. Ever57where nature 
provided so abundantly for man's wants that no one could 
doubt the Bible representation of "The land that tlowed with 
milk and honey.'' 

Ajiple and peach orchards planted in those primative dajs 
knew no insect pests and no failure of crops. Watermelons 
and muskmelons planted in freshly turned prairie sod cov- 
ered the ground with the luxuriance of their vines, and with- 



l.']lr Ol-l) SKTI'I-KUS IIISTOUV 

out cultivtitioi] jjroduced monstrous melons so abundantly 
there were more than could be consumed. Water, pure and 
fresh stood in open prairies in sunken basins or pools that 
seemed to have neither inlet or outlet. Pish occupied these 
natural ponds. Wild animals and fowls found food, water 
and shelter in these great natural fields. Wooded streams 
afforded protection and water for fish and fowls. Along the 
margins of these water courses grew wild climbing roses; in 
the ponds and lakes grew water lilies, and beavers and otters 
had their homes here. 

When this immense growth of vegetation was killed by 
frosts in the fall, grand and wonderful sights were present- 
ed in the burning prairies, for the wild grass grew in some 
seasons to the hight of eight or ten feet. Then these furious 
fires would create destruction to the lives of stock and occa- 
sionally a human life would be sacrificed by the intense 
heat. But as the prairies became more densely inhabited, 
better regulations Were established for protection, and whole 
neighborhoods would form lines of men armed with ditt'erent 
weapons of defence against these dangers. In the highest 
fury of these fires the flames would leap over creeks and riv- 
ers, destroying houses, fences and trees. Then the only 
means of defence was to build counter fires to advance and 
meet the oncoming flames until the two lines united aud 
there was nothing more to destroy. 

But man's progress and civilization have destroyed that 
which can never be reproduced. The plow and the railroad 
have developed a different order of things and whether bet- 
ter or worse, it remains for those who loved the beautiful 
prairies to know them only in memory. 



A MODEL LOCI HOUSE. 

In the eastern part of Bates County, in Hudson townshi]). 
there stands a log house in a good way of preservation, now 
owned and occupied by Thomas J. Pheasant, that was built 
on my father's farm almost fifty-five years ago. All the logs 



()]' l'.A'1'KS COINTV. 1M5 

in this buikliiig ure of wliito oak or blacl^ walnut licwn 
with smooth surfaces by the broad ax and adz, leveled at top 
and bottom, dove-tailed and matched at the (>nds. As the 
logs were laid in place each one was bedd(»d in mortar, and 
to add to the security of tlieir ])osition, holes were bored 
through every log from top to bottom of the whole wall on 
each side of every door and window, on each side of every 
corner and held in place by an incli iron bolt tlie full heiglit 
of the wall. This log house has been re-roofed four or live 
times, lirst with black walnut rived boards, then with best 
sawed shingles and now with pine. The liooring was all cut 
with a whipsaw, tiie log being placed on a strong frame and 
one man standing above tlie log to pull the saw up while an- 
other stood beneath the log to pull it down. The upper 
lloor was cut from large pecan logs, the lower floor large 
black walnut timber. The reason my father had for having 
this house built so substantially was to resist high winds. 

I do not remember that Ave feared cyclones in the early 
settlement of this country, but we could often see the tracks 
of terrific tornadoes and hurricanes in the timber districts. 
Our house was built and stands on a high limestone table- 
land at the head of Panther Creek. Prom this eminence we 
could view a beautiful landscape five miles in extent in n<>ar- 
ly every direction. 

Game of nearly every kind was abundant and from oui- hill 
we could .see deer every fair day in the year. Indians from 
different tribes came to visit us every spring and fall to ask 
permis.sion to hunt game, until we became so accustomed to 
seeing them that we did not fear them. 

My father settled in Bates County when I was ten years of 
age. I had four sisters. When the Indians came to see us, 
sometimes a dozen or more at the same time, we would go 
out and meet them and exchange pork or corn or some arti- 
cle that tliey wanted, for their venison. They invariably 
had one interpretor or spokesman, all other members of the 
party giving us to understand that they could not speak our 
language. When they returned the next season some other 
member of the party would act as interpretor and the speak ^ 
er of the former season would be silent, pretending not to 
understand. But they w^ere jovial among themselves and 
much giA'en to laughter. 



i;ir, OI.I) SI'.TTI.KRS' niSTOUY 

During our early acquaintance with tlie frontier tribes of 
Indians we never heard of more than one act of hostiUt.y. 
About the year of 1840 a band of Osage Indians obtained per- 
mission from their agent, located in what is now Kansas, to 
come over the border into Missouri to hunt. While hunting- 
game in the woods they killed some hogs belonging to white 
settlers. In haste, and angered at the depredations of tlie 
Indians, an armed band of whites suddenly appeared at th(> 
Indians' camp to bring them to account for their conduct. 
The first unfortunate impulse of the Indians was to fly to their 
arms and resist what they supposed t3 be a determination 
to butcher them. The Indians opened fire on the white men 
and killed a Mr. Dodge, one of the most useful and influen- 
tial pioneers of the county. Finally the Indians were induc- 
ed to surrender, and after being informed that they must not 
return, the locks wore removed from their guns and they 
were sent' back to their agency in disgrac3. The Indians' 
visits were not so frequent for several years after this event, 
but finally under promise of good behavior they began to re- 
turn in small bands and always asked permission when they 
came to hunt. 

One day a wounded deer came bounding into my father's 
cornfield. My dog gave chase and soon caught it. Just 
then a large Indian with a gun in his hand ran to me and 
gave me to understand that it was his deer, and pointing to 
its hind foot showed me it had been shot off: of course I 
could but submit. He proceeded to dress the deer in a hasty 
but neat way, and after it was all ready to pack he cut off 
one of the hind quarters and gave it to me as my portion for 
the service my dog had rendered. I thought then as I now 
think, he proved himself to be better than most white men 
in manliness and gratitude. 



MY WATERMELON PATCH. 

I plaiitod a little watermelon patch in the center of the 
corntiekl wlier.^ from t'.ie hill-top at t]u> liou-;:' I could look 




E. C. nUDD. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Larue County, Ky., 
on March 27, 1S52. Was educated in the common schools, and 
attended the Hodgensville Academy. Came to Bates County, 
Mo., in 1873 and settled near Burdette. Went to Pacific coast 
in 1883, returned in 1885, and went out again in 1888 and re- 
turned in 1891. While out there he was engaged in contracting 
on r;^ilroad and other public works. 

Was married to Miss Amanda Stillwell in 1874. Has always 
been a democrat. In 1896 was nominated and elected sheriff 
by the democracy. Was re-elected in i8g8, and is at this time 
Sheriff of Bates County. 

As a public official "Shelt" Mudd, as he is familiarly called, 
is popular with the people, and as a man and citizen he has a 
a large circle of admirers and friends. He is fearless in the 
discharge of his public duties, companionable and generous in 
the private relations of life. Faithful to his friends, respectful 
to every body, it is not remarkable that he is popular as a pub- 
lic officer. His term of office will expire January ist, igoi. 



OF llATKS COl NTY. l-]~ 

down into it. As I l()ok(>d into my melon ])a1cli one tl;iy I 
discovered that a number ol: deer and wild tiirktiys had talvon 
l^ossession of it and that after they had dined on melons at 
my expense were enga!j;'ed in a little innocent dance anion*;' 
the vines. The turkeys would Hap their wings and strike 
and jump a.gainst the deer, while the latter danced and jump- 
ed around the turkeys like lambs at play. 

They were so intent on their amusement that they did not 
notice me as I quietly crept down amono" the corn to witliin 
a few feet of tlie litth^ open square. Here I lay (ph(>t a few 
moments, then raisin<>' my head discovered that a turkey was 
my nearest game. Lexcling my gun I pulled the trigger, 
but to my disappointment the gun liad been loaded so long 
that it failed to discharge and I feared the explosion of the 
percussion cap would scare the game away. I remained very 
quiet for a little while until ussured that there would be no 
general alarm, then placed a fresJi cap on the tube. By this 
time a deer stood, broad-.side. within a few feet of where I 
lay. I took steady aim, but to my increased aggravation my 
gun again failed to do service. I now felt sure I should lose 
all opportunity to capture ajiy of the game, although within 
reach of it. The turkeys began to be suspicious and I knew 
by their notes of alarm that they were warning each other 
tt) be on the look-out for danger. I determined however, 
that as long as the game remained within reach of a shot I 
would continue to try the obstinate gun. The third time I 
took more care to prepare my gun for ser\'ice. Having come 
prepared with powder-horn and shot, I opened the tube with 
a pin, poured in fresh powd(>r and primed it to the top, then 
placed on a new cap and raising my head cautiously, saw a 
fat, half grown deer less than twenty feet away. This tinu> 
my gun did full execution and tiiere immediately occurred a 
rushing tiight and stampede of all the game except tlie ani- 
mal at which I had aiunnl. and that one I dragged proudly 
home. 



TAKi^:S TWO TO SHOOT WILD TURKEY. 

W(» kept a llociv oi lame Inrlveys. One fall a wild lurlcey 



138 OLD SETTLEUs" IIISTOIiY 

came from the woods and, although it always seemed a little 
shy, stayed all winter with the tame ones. In the spring he 
became discontented and began to evince a disposition to re- 
turn to his haunts in the woods. He would make frequent 
attempts to lead our whole flock of tame ones away to the 
place of the home of his wild companions. I then deterrain- 
ed that if he was so ungrateful as to desert us after all our 
kindness and after having shared our hospitality a w^iole 
winter I would rather have his dead body than to have his 
living memory. I carefully loaded my rifle, but to my great 
chagrin, found that my cap box was empty. In those days 
it was not easy to obtain supplies when they were exhausted 
as it was six miles to the nearest store. 

I had determined to shoot that turkey, Jiowever. By this 
time the turkey had perched himself on a fence within twent}^ 
feet of the house. Having raised the window quietly, I told 
my mother to take the tongs and bring a coal of fire from 
the fire place and when I raised the liammer of the gun as I 
took aim at him, to touch the live coal to the tube of the gun. 
The discharge, of course, was simultaneous Avith the appli- 
cation of tlie coal. My mother w^as greatly frightened: but 
we shot the turkey and ate liim for dinner. 



SIGN LANGUAGE OF BIRDS. 

I noticed a remarkable proof of the communication of the 
wishes of birds. As I stood on our hill one day at noon I 
noticed a large hawk slowly and laboriously approaching the 
limestone bluff to the west of the house. The direction the 
bird was flying was bringing it nearly over my head. The 
hawk was evidently carrying a heavy prey for its young and 
as it came nearer I discovered that its burden was a raijbit 
hanging down from its talons. At this moment I noticed the 
hawk's mate dart rapidJy away from the cliffs and fly direct- 
ly under its mate at a distance of fifteen feet or more below, 
then suddenly the uppc^r hawk dropi^edits burden, I suppos- 
ed accidentally, but it was cauglit i>y the mother hawk, as I 
believed the lower bird to bo. who turned herself feet up in 
the air and received the rabbit as dextrously as ever ba^e 
ball catcher caught a ball, then turned and hurried back to 
feed her brood, v/hile tlie tired master hawk flewslowlv after. 




JACOB D. ALLEN, 

born in Franklin County, Kentucky, September 12th, 1859. 
Moved to Missouri in 1875 with his parents, Richard N. and 
Jannette Allen, who located on a farm in New Home township, 
Bates county. Served an as apprentice in a printing office in 
1876-79. Took an A. B. course in Kentucky Millitary Insti- 
tute 1879 to 1882. Was Senior Captain of Corps 1881 2. 
Salutatorian '82 class. Was Deputy County Clerk from Jan- 
uary I, 1883, to July I, 1884, when he took charge of the Butler 
Weekly Times, which paper he is still conducting. Was con- 
gressional committeeman from 1886 to 1888. Delegate to the 
Democratic National Convention at Chicago, from 6th Missouri 
District in 1892. Was Postmaster at Butler from July i, 1893, 
to October i, 1897. Appointed by Govenor Lon V. Stephens, 
on October 2, 1899, a member of commission to locate and 
build State Lunatic Asylum No. 4, in Southeast Missouri; 
elected chairman of the commission by his conferres, in which 
capacity he is now serving the state. Was married Oct. 6th, 
1886, to Miss Ida R. Wood, to which union three sons were 
born, Robert, William and Jacob. 

Mr. Allen has made the Times one of the leading and in- 
fluential Democratic weeklies of the state; and he is recognized 
as among the prominent politicians of his party, and his friends 
hope to see him suitably honored by his party in the future. 



OF liATKS COUNTY. 1 DU 



PIONEER LIFE IN BATES COUNTY. 

U 'i-itUii for The Old Settlers' llistorij, 
111 I (■. (\ HI ■'! n kentieckrr. 

I was l)()rn in Monroe county. Missouri, October. 14. Is4(). 
My family left tliere September. I's, 185'), for Linn count}", 
Kansas, passing through Butler on October, 7. At that time 
it was a small village with grass growing in the streets. 
Wo arrived at our destination. October, S)th, and remained 
tliere until the spring of IK)'.), moving to Lone Oak townsliip 
on the 2tlth day of March. 

While this township was sparcely settled, and what settle- 
ments there were confined to the creeks and rivers, yet the 
people were kind and hospitable. Churches and schools had 
been established in most communities. Church services were 
generally held in school houses which were built of logs, 
with one end out for a fire-place, and one log out the full 
length of one side for a window and with slabs for seats. 
Such were the facilities for what education I have acquired, 
and which were cut short by that little ditficulty between the 
states. The first frame church building erected in the coun- 
ty tliat I remember, was within throe-fourths of a mile fi'om 
where the writer now sits, built by the Presbyterians. The 
lumber was haulded from the southern part of the state or 
northern Arkansas in the fall of 1H59. At this time the seat 
of government had Ijeen moved to Butler; which was build- 
ing up rapidly. This w^as our i:>ostof(ice and trading point. 

There are but few of the old settlers left that were here 
when we came. We can call to mind only one head of a fam- 
ily that was here then, John Daniels. There are a good 
many descendants of the early settlers remaining. 

Nothing of an exciting nature took place from that time 
until ls61, when the i:)residential election occured. Our peo- 
ple were attending to their legitimate affairs, quietly and 
good naturedly. Once in a while a raid of freebooters from 
Kansas, or visa versa, which soon quieted down. Not until 
ls()l, as the campaign progressed did the excitement reach 



[±u 1)1,1) siorii.ioits iiisTouv 

fever heat. As I was not a voter I took but little interest in 
passing- events. Tliere was one little incident after the elec- 
tion tiiat I often call to mind. As I remember, there were 
eleven votes cast in the county for Mr. Lincoln. The names 
of these voters were printed on placards and stuck up at ev- 
ery cross-roads. I mention this to show wiiat partisanism 
will lead men to. Actual hostilities did not commence in 
this county until the latter part of the summer of 1m61. 

My father being a slave holder and the circumstances sur- 
rounding us left us to take sides with the south. The com- 
pany of which I was a member, w^as made up in this vicirn'ty 
on the llTth day of June. 1S61. We tookupour line of march 
for the south, joining the main a-rmy at Papinsville, com- 
manded by General Price. We were uninterrupted until near 
Carthage, Missouri, when we met General Siegel. and after 
a sharp engag'ement of several hours, with slight loss on 
both sides, General Siegel wnis forced to retire. General 
Price continued his march to Cowskin Prairie, where wu^ re- 
mained three weeks; then took u]) our line of march for 
Springfield. Ten miles south-west of this city on Wilson 
Creek, we encountered General Lyon. I am unable to give 
the details of this light, as our regiment was in advance, re- 
ceiving the first assault. I fell early in the engagement, 
with a minnie ball in the tJiigh, near where General Lyon 
fell. I was taken to the hospital at Springfield. In the lat- 
ter part of September I was able to return home w^here I re- 
mained until l<s6y. From the time of my arrival at home un- 
til my departure there were many incidents, a few of wdiich 
I will relate without being exact as to dates. 

In the fall of 1H61 James Hawkins accidently shot and kill- 
ed himself w^hilo passing through a gate at the Andrew 
Brown place. In less than a year Alexander Weddle and a 
Mr. McRupe were killed at and near the same place. 

Some time in the fall of 1H()1> Joe Myers called at the resi- 
dence of John Lloyd, and angry words ensued. Myers shot 
the latter, kilhng him instantly. In April or May, 1h(k!. 
Judge Durand, a prominent citizen of Prairie City, was kill- 
ed by two bushwhackers, while going from his home to Butler. 
It was not the design of these men to take his life, only his 
horse and gun, but he refused to surrender. Just before or 
shortlv aft(M- tins last orcurreucc M. D. Elh'dge and J. W. 



OF I'.ATKS COrNTV. 141 

Jonos wore onc'amp(Kl in tlio brnsli near \vli('r(> Pl(>asaiit Val- 
li'Y school house now stands. While each had irone to his 
home for breakfast, being only a short distance away, a com- 
pany of militia surrounded their camp. Elledge returned 
first: his first intimation of danger was a demand to surren- 
dQY. He began to r<*treat, at the same time shooting at those 
in front of him: that opened a way for him to escape. Many 
shots were tired and the last one hit Elledgein the arm. He 
r> 'turned home, called his wife out and told her whereto llnd 
him when the militia Irad gone. He was soon able to be in 
tlie saddle again. 

On Docember ,"), IH")!, a band of outlaws ciimc to the resi- 
(hmce of George Tiiamas, a respected citizen and a Union 
i:ian, carried him off. and he was never heard of. It is sup- 
]) )sed he was murdered. In the fall of 1S63 a lot of South- 
ern men were in the brush ii} the southern part of the town- 
ship when a dispute arose between Jim Lloyd and Harry 
Hifrnphri^ys, over the return of some horses taken from Jack 
Wright, Humphreys d<?manding their return. Angry words 
ensued and both reached for their guns and tired simulta- 
neously. Lloyd received a ball in his brain and Humplireys 
one in his breast, both expiring immedhitel.y. 

In May 186^3, the order of General Ewmg, depopulating the 
border counties, w^as issued. Being una.ble for service I re- 
mained at home until this time. A j^ass was furnished me to 
go into our lines. I did not reach the lines until fall when I 
re-enUsted in the lOth Missouri Cavalry, C. S. A. Not able 
for active service I was detailed in the Commissary depart- 
ment, where I remained until the army readied the Missouri 
River on the Price raid, when I re-joined my company and 
participated in all the engagements to tlie close, except that 
of Mines Creek in Linn county, Kansas. At Cane Hill, Ar- 
Ivansas, we turned into the Nation, where for three weeks 
we had nothing to eat but meal without salt; and our faithful 
animals, brush and prairie grass, in the month of November. 
After reaching Red River we turned down that stream until 
vre reached Lee, where we spent the balance of the Avinter 
Uiid spring, surrendering at Shi-eveport June the 10th, 180.'). 
After Uncle Sam had licked us he was kind enough to fur- 
nish us transportation liome and plenty of grub to eat. 

I found my parent.'^ in Henry county, Missoui'i. on the ;?7th 



llay of Jwiio, isor). I did not return toiliis county until lH(i7. 
While thei'e was a great deal of animosity existing here I re- 
.ceived very kind treatment at the hands of my late enemies, 
and I am proud to say that now my warmest friejids ,are those 
who wore the Blpe, some of whom I met on the battle-field. 

Now in conclusion I wish to say that the foregoing are the 
facts as to my best ability to chronjcje them, withovit any col- 
oring, for I see things differently from what I did thirty 
years ago. When I laid down nay musket I considered tlie 
war at an end, and haye adhered to that policy since. 
The past is behind us. our duty is to the fwttire and as patri- 
otic Americans we sliould turn our eyes in that direction, 



INCIDENTS OF FRONTIER LIFE, 
///. lynir (},f/c Toiini.shi// ((s Helaicd hij Einl ij Smlllers, 

John Daniels settled ijear the Qorth boundry of Lone Oak 
township ii) the year IBi)'). The hardships of those earl/ 
times were incieed trying to the yoeman who undertook to 
support his family and imjoroye his farni under the existing 
circumstances. 

Mr. Daniels relates that ijot pork was worth but three dol- 
lars per owt. when delivered at Tipton, Missouri, and that 
almost all goo4s were freighted by wagoij from the same 
place. Milch cows were worth from liye to seyen 4ollai'S 
per head, until traders came in from Oregon aj)d caused cat- 
tle to advance. 

Mr. Daniels served as a soldier during the war and return- 
ed at its close to find his buildings all destroyed and the ef- 
fects of his hard toil almost wiped out. Not discouraged by 
this he pnce more went to work and soon regained from 
waste his farm of two hundred acres, on which be still re- 
sides. 

George W. Bt.awkenbeokeu settled in Loi;p Oak town- 
ship in 1860. Mr. Blankenbecker was a typjcjij frontiers- 
man and enjoyed' the rough and ready life of the settler, 
His ax quickly cleared away the forest and his fruitful 




JOHN EMERY DOWELL. 

The subject of this sketch was born in AIcDonough County, Ills., forty 
years ago. When he was four years old his father died, leaving a widow 
and three sons to fight the stern battles of life, which at times were such as 
to require effort and great personal sacrifice. His early educational ad- 
vantages were such as afforded by attending school two months in the winter 
and by close application to study at home during the evening hours, by de- 
nying himself the pleasuies of social life during his early manhood he ac- 
quired the foundation which enabled him to pass the examination into the 
higher institutions of learning. This he did at the earliest opportunity, 
and graduated from the Methodist School at LaHarp, Ills., in 18S3, with 
the hinors of his class. 

Immediately after his graduation he joined the mighty army of ener- 
getic people who were then going to Dakota Territory, where he was an 
active ligure in the battle incident to life in anew country. 

In 1884 he was nominated as a candidate for Superintendent of Public 
.Schools of Potter County, Dakota Territory, which he resigned to accept a 
good position as Teacher in another county. 

In March, 1884, he associated himself with C. N. VanHosen, now editor 
of the Springfield Republican, (this state), as editors and publishers of the 
Potter County Blizzard, (it was just what its name implies). In March, 
i8S6,Mr. Dowell was admitted to the bar, and located at Miller, Hand Co., 
Dakota. Here he held several positions of trust, and enjoyed the confi- 
dence of the people. In the autumn of 1890 he came to this county, locat- 
ing at Adrian, and bought the Journal at that place, with which he is still 
connected. In the spring of 1897 he was elected to the office of Justice of 
the Peace, and in the autuirn of the same year was elected Mayorof Adrian 
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of A. J. Satterlee; in the spring of 
1898 he was re-elected to that office, and is still acting in that capacity. 

On October nth, 1885. the subject of this sketch was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Mollie M. Purkey ; to this union have been born three 
children, viz: George B., Lucy V. and John Emery, Jr., all of whom are 
living. Mr. Dowell is a member of the Cresent Hill Lodge No. 368, A. F. 
& A. M. ; of Adrian Lodge No. 13, I. O. O. F. ; he is also a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 



.or UATF.S COLNTY, 14o 

lii'lds (K'ciipy tlio <j:rounds which onco nourishod the ,i>:iant.s of 
tlio i'ort'sts. Deer, wolves and wild turkeys in almost count- 
less numbers o-ave sport to the huntsman, and no one could 
handle a rille more eifectively than he. He was foremost in 
the chase as well as with the ax. He yet lives on the farm 
which his strong arm wrested from the wilderness, but how 
great is the change the years ha^'e wrought. His ax lies idle, 
and the rifle, his constant companion in those days, is now 
only cherished as a relic of the past. 



JUDGE EDMUND liARTLETT. 

Edmund Bartlett cast liis lot with the ])('()])!(' of Hales 
County in th<^ spring of L^4;i. He was horn in Cuujlx'rlaud 
county. Kentucky. May 9, iHl7, and was the son of Edmund 
and Sally Bartlett, both Virginians by birth. They died 
when Edmund was quite small. On this account his oppor- 
tunities for obtaining an education were greatly limited. 
But by his great determination in late years he has obtained 
a good education. Mr. Bartlett was married to Miss Mariah 
Cook in Kentucky, August 11, 1836. To this union were 
given seven children, four are still li\'ing. one son and three 
daughters. 

The Judge said: "In 1n;)7 I procured a l)lind horse and 
an old buggy, which I loaded with my camping outfit and 
what provisions it Avould carry, and we started out to tiud 
our fortune. My wife drove while I tramped along-side 
with my gun on my shoulder. We first settled in Morgaij 
county, Missouri, where I bought eighty acj'es of lajid, on 
time, on which I uuide some improvements. After living 
there for five yeairs I disposed of it for ^?A)0, and in the last 
of March 1M43, I came to Bates County. At first I I'ented a 
farm on Deepwater Creek, but the spring following I moved 
to Walnut township and bought a claim, tlie land not yet be- 
ing in market. When I came to W,Hbiut towjiship there were 
only nine families besides my own. two families of WoodfinSj 
two of McHenrys, one each .of Se.UfS, Andres, Gilliauds, Pjeiv 
c(\s and a bachelor named Coo]>er, 



itt-Jr OLD SK/l'TLKlis' IILSTOUY 

' •Our nearest neighbors on the west were the Pota vvatomies, 
a tribe of indiaiis that hved in Kansas and with whom we 
were on friendly terms. We would frequently exchange our 
products, such as corn meal or a piece of meat for calico, do- 
mestic or such goods as tliey had to dispose of. They very 
seldom showed any signs of hostility. 

"We got our mail at Little Osage until 1816, whenapostor- 
lice was established at Marvel, which was the first postoffice 
established in Walnut township; J. D. Dickey being the first 
postmaster. The mail route wa3 laid out from Harrisonville 
to Papinsvillo by way of West Point and Marvel; Mirk Wert 
was the mail contractor. We also had our grinding done at 
a little horse mill on the Little Osage, operated by a 
man named Ray. The customers frequently hitched their 
own Jiorses or oxen on and ground out their own gristi, and 
frequently had to wait quite a while for their turn. 

"Religious services werexheld at private houses and what 
few school houses there were scattered over the county. The 
first school district in south-western part of the county was 
organized at my instigation, and consisted of congress.lDnal 
township 39. range 33. People would go fifteen or twenty 
miles to meetings, house-raisings and social gatherings." 

Judge Bartlett has borne such hardships and privations as 
only a pioneer meets, butby hard work and great endurance 
has overcome all obstacles and won a good liome for himself 
and family, and a character beyond reproach. He was a 
farmer by occupation, but has served the public in variou > 
capacities; as school teacher, justice of the peace, postmas- 
ter, township collector, was elected and re-elected coun- 
ty judge until he had served in that capacity for ten years, 
being succeeded by Judge Feeley in 1833. He ably discharg- 
ed his official duties, with much credit to Ihmself. Ho resid- 
ed in Walnut township from 1814 until the county was de- 
populated by "Order No. 11," when he went to Kansas, re- 
turning to his home in 18o6, where he reside:! until a f3w 
years ago when he moved to Butler, Avhere he owns a nice 
home. 

Although Judge Bartlett is past eighty years of ag3 hi > 
mind is as clear as most men's at forty. He was a membar 
of the Grand Jury that found a bill against Dr. S. Notting- 
ham for kiUing liis wife, the only man legally executed in 



OF HATES ("Ol NTY. i-to 

tlio county. Ho remcmlxTs a .ii'reat deal oitlK^ evidence jiro- 
duced at the trial. 



Note. — A short time after Judge Bartlett accorded our 
representative the foregoing interview he "Passed Over to 
the Silent Majority. " The list of pioneers is yearly growing- 
shorter. — Publishers. 



IN NORTH EKN BATES. 

Among the old settlers of Deer Creek township are Sam- 
uel Jackson and wife, aged respectively sixty-live and sixty- 
four. Mrs. Jackson is a native Missouriftn, having been born 
in Clay county. They came to Bates County in November 
isr)5, passed through Papinsville three days before the ex- 
ecution of Dr. Nottingham, and Mrs. Jackson wanted to re- 
main to witness the hanging but her husband would not stoj). 
Tile old couple appear to have been all over the western 
part of the state. They made forty-two moves in the first 
twenty years of their married life. Mrs. Jackson gives some 
vivid accounts of '-The old times" as they appeared to one 
who went through them. She went to school three months 
and two weeks, so lier education, as we look at it in these 
d lys, was rather limited. In the w^ays and works of frontier 
life, h )wever, she was thoroughly educated. She follows 
many of the practices of the early days and has a profound 
contempt for much of the "fuss and foolery" of modern times 
and expressed her sentiments as follows: "I am getting a 
piece of carpet ready for the loom now, and I will have me 
some home-spun dresses to wear by the middle of May. and 
I will go to church and wear them, you betl I was raised to 
W'Ork and I like it; I like to spin and hear the old wheel hum; 
I like to make pretty striped cloth and like to wx^ar it too. 
Some people are too proud to do anything only piny on the 
organ, or crochet, or something like that. In war times I 
could not get clothing, so I raised my own cotton, picked the 
se("d out with my lingers, carded and spun it and made cloth- 



li^j UlA) .sKTTLI'^RS H18TOUY 

ing tor myself and family. I wove many a yard of cloth aft- 
er night. For four years I cut and hauled all of my wood 
and went forty miles to mill, driving the oxen myself. I 
rode a government mule to Kansas City and carried my ba- 
by in my lap. I could walk all over the town then in half 
an hour. I have put out two washings in half a day and 
then could hardly make a living for mj^self and four little 
children. Mr. Jackson was gone in the war three years and 
fourteen days, and I did not once see him during that time. 
I had to leave my children when I went to buy corn or go to 
mill. At first I was very timid and feared to tell my busi- 
ness, but I soon found out how to do, and could get through 
with my business as quickly as any man. In 1861 we got out 
of flour, we had some wheat in the shock, and had got tired 
of eating corn bread so I put the wagon sheet down -on the 
ground and got sticks and beat the grain out, took it to a 
corn mill and got it ground, but we had to eat th(? bran, as 
the sieve would not take it out. 

"Talk about the good old times I I tell you thoy were good 
times for work. My husband has made rails enough to fence 
in Bates County, and I have wove enougli cloth to carpet a 
good portion of it. I used to know everybody; now I know 
but few. 

"The first house wo lived in vras log with a sod ciiimney ' 
and puncheon floor. AVo had one chair, and a box for a table, 
we sat on the floor to oat. I had a pot with one leg out; I 
wrapped a rag round a corn cob and stopped the hole; I could 
cook in it twice before the cob would burn out. My cup- 
board was six augur holes bored in the logs and a clapboard 
laid on pins. I had a scaffold bedstead and vras happy as a 
lark in spring-time. 

"In 1862 father and Benton MePherson -were killed. I 
went after them; got there at night. They lay on the snow 
which was eighteen inches deep. I knew it would not do to 
let them lay until morning as they would freeze fast, so I 
took them up that night, watched over them until morning, 
put them in a wagon and took them to where botli f imilies 
were staying. I saw sights during war times that avouIJ 
well-nigh drive one crazy." 




O. D. AUSTIN. 

O. D. Austin was born in Shelby, Richland County, Ohio, 
October 7, 1^41. His father was of French extraction and was 
born in Massachusetts July 16, 1804. He was an eminent 
physician and began his professional career in Shelby, Ohio. 
His wife, whose maiden name was Flavia A. Conger, was a 
sister of Hon. O. D. Conger, United States Senator from 
Michigan. The subject of this sketch was the oldest of six 
children and was educated in the public schools of Plymouth, 
Ohio. At the age of 17 he entered the office of the Herald at 
Marshfield, Ohio. In 1862, through the influence of Hon. John 
Sherman, he obtained a clerkship in the treasury department at 
Washington. He was present at Ford's theatre on April 14, 
1865, and saw President Lincoln shot. In 1866 he came to 
Kansas City, Mo., and was foreman in the office of the Kansas 
City Advertiser for about six months. This was the first daily 
paper published there. In November of the same year he went 
to Butler and became general manager of the Bates County 
Record. In the spring of 1867 he returned to Kansas City and 
was local editor of the Advertiser until October, at which time 
returned to Butler and purchased the Record plant, and has 
continued to own and publish the Record ever since. 

In October, 18S1. he was appointed postmaster at Butler by President 
Arthur. He was again appointed postmaster in 18S9 by President Harrison 
and served the people acceptably. He is a member ot the Masonic order 
and a Knight Templar, and is prominent in the order, having been Deputy 
District Grand Master tor the last four years. He was married May 3, 
1871, to Miss Florence M. Stobie of Butler, formerly of Pittsfield, 111. 
They have two children, Edwin S. and Nellie B. 



OF HATKS COUNTY. 14' 



IN WEST POINT TOWNSHIP. 

h'i'Ifitrd hij Mrs. K. M Chak-. 

"My father, W. Lemar, moved to this county in the spriiio- 
of 1853, when I was thirteen years old, and bought the i^hace 
where he now Uves, two and one-half miles south of Amster- 
dam. When we moved here there were but few houses in 
the country; there was Mr. Jackson's, who lived where L. 
F. Parrish now lives; Logan Mitchell lived where he now 
resides, four and one-half miles south of Amsterdam; Mr. 
Adair was located one mile south of Mulberry; Mr. Arnott, 
where Robert Braden novv^ lives; and John Green on what is 
now the Walley farm. Mr. Green's house burned down soon 
after we came and two children perished in the flames. 

"I was married in the spring of 1858, to J. J. Clark. We 
moved to the place where I now live, one and a half miles 
north-west of Amsterdam. Mr. Clark wns a democrat, nev- 
er-the-less a Union man and believed in each man voting his 
ov.m sentiments. 

•'The fall th.at Lincoln was elected, two gentlemen by the 
name of Pope, and very intimate friends of Mr. Clark, were 
visiting us. Mr. Clark persuaded them to go to the polls 
and vote. They voted for Lincoln, which was against Mr. 
Clark's sentiments, but it made no difference to him while 
others thought it to be a great fault. Mrs. Mattox, living 
just across the state line, frequently told the Federal troops 
that my husband was a rebel and harbored bushwhackers. 
This caused us a great deal of trouble with the Union troops, 
a company of which were stationed at Trading Post, Kan- 
sas. One winter soldiers from this company called upon us 
voiy often but we never found out what they wanted until 
in the spring, when six men came one Sunday morning. 
They had always wanted a meal, but on this occasion they 
simpl}^ chatted and smoked their pipes. One of the men in- 
quired if we cared to know their business; we told them we 
did. They then told us that Mrs. Mattox had told them we 
were rebels iind kept bushwliackers und( r oar rcof. They 



l-is OLD si:rrij;i;s' histoiiv 

hud been watching us and had found the statoniont tj bo un- 
true. We were annoyed so much by bushwhackers that we 
were compelled to move across the state line into Kansas, 
wdiere we remained two years. 

•'In the spring of 1858, a band of bushwackers crossed into 
Kansas and killed a Mr. Dedo and another man whose name 
I do not know. Mrs. Mattox told the jayhawkers that the 
raid was caused by my husband, while he at the time was 
sick in bed. The next day two men rode up to our house, 
came to the door and snajjped their pistols at him. but tlie 
guns failed to go off. They then started totakcliim out, IhU 
strengthened by fright, Icompelled them to leave. At anoth- 
er time bushwhackers carried my husband away, but he was 
released and came home the next day. 

"Ill 1858 Hamilton and his followers murdered some men 
near the Trading Post; Metlark and Driffy from this county, 
Were imj^licated in the affair. Driffy was caught and lianged 
at Mound City, Kansas. Metlark escaped into Piatt county, 
Kansas, but was caught by Hargrove and a small band of 
men. They brought him home and hanged him. 

"In May, 1858, a band of jayhawkers came across tiio line 
and sent a man to West Point to get permission to iuuil 
for Hamilton. While waiting for a reply part of tlie bund 
came to our home and robbed us of our money and stock. lii 
those days goods were transfered in wagons palled V)y ox 
teams. They were carried from Kansas City to West Point. 
TJie nearest mill we could get to w^as thirty miles distant. 

"When Lincoln. was elected, everybody expected a war, 
and each, the North and South, boasted of the 'short work' 
they would make of the opposite side. Before the war com- 
menced every one was peaceful, had plenty and enjoyed 
themselves, no one lacking the necessities of life. Wild grass 
grew to such a iieight that a man riding a horse could scarce- 
ly see cattle as they were running free on the prairies. 
There were very few settlers and they were close to tJie 
timber where they could secure material for building pui'- 
poses and fire wood. West Point w^as a great trading place, 
and was frequented by bands of Indians who did almost all 
their trading there. They were always peaceful and coik- 
mitted no depredations. 

"The first tronblos at the breaking oat of the war wrvo 



OK ]?.\TKS COLXTV. 1-1:9 

caused by marauding bands on the border. Tliese bands 
would cross the line and carry off everything they thought 
worth taking. In June, 1861, Mr. Egnue. living north-east 
of West Point, was taken from his house by a band of busJi- 
whackers and hanged to a tree. In August, 1862, Mr. Fus- 
sell was killed by bushwhackers, while he was on his way 
home from a marauding tour. In December the same year 
George Walley accidentally killed himself. 

"The nearest regular battle was fought at Muddy Creek, 
where the Southern army under I^rice encountered the Un- 
ion forces under General Lane. The conllict was short and 
but few men were killed. On November 9th, 1863, as Price's 
men passed through they came upon Mr. Ward as he was 
burning the grass around his farm. A squad rode up and 
demanded his horse; ho refused to give it up and they shot 
him. They next came to where Mr. Vernon was also burn- 
ing the grass around his field in order to save his home from 
the prairie fires which were devastating the country. His 
v/ife and two children were in the wagon nearby. The men 
rode up and demanded the horses. Vernon told them he 
would give up his life before he would let them take his team. 
His revolver was in the wagon, but before he could get it, 
one of the men shot him in the breast. The men left with- 
out taking the horses or molesting the wife and children. 
Mrs. Vernon managed to get the dead body of her husband 
into the wagon and had almost reached home when another 
band came up and took the team from the wagon, leaving the 
poor woman and crjdng children without aid to bury their 
dead. Vernon hid been almost killed before by a band of 
bushwhackers who were ransacking his home. He protest- 
ed, and they struck him over the head with his own rifle, 
knocking iiim senseless and throwing his body into the yard. 

• 'After the war there was nothing left but a few houses scat- 
tered over the country, the fires having swept over both for- 
est, prairie and field alike; no horses, cattle, hogs, or other 
live stock left. No full crop had been raised during the war 
and food was scarce, consequently prices were very high. 
A common team would cost three hundred dollars. In a 
short time men began to come home and improve their farms, 
stock was Vjrought in and people began to be prosperous again. 

•"Several men wore decoyed from th(nr homes and killed by 



loO OLD settlers" IHSTOUY 

unknown enemies. One man I remember in particular; he 
lived not far from Butler. He had built new fences and made 
a number of improvements. One evening as he was ready 
to sit down to supper he heard a cow bell a short distance 
from the house. SuppD-iing som? stray cattle were trying 
to get through the fence to his crops, he went out to investi- 
gate. While waiting at the house for his return the family 
became alarmed, and then started out in search of husband and 
father. When they came to the fence they found his lifeless 
body. He had been deceived and shot by some one in am- 
bush. This is only one of a great many such incidents, a 
result of the bitterness caused by the long struggle be- 
tween the North and the South. These outrages tended to 
prevent the re-settlement of the county, and for several years 
the progress was slow. 

"The town of West Point remained the principle tradii g 
point until after the railroad reached La Cygne, then goods 
were hauled from that place; and West Point never recovered 
its importance. In the seventies, when the war was in a 
measure forgotten, the country settled up rapidly, but there 
were no towns of importance in the western part of the county 
until after the railroad was built through in 18Sy. The towns 
of West Point and' Mulberry were then practically deserted 
and new towns sprang up on the railroad. Old towns, old 
times and old people are almost forgotten in the new and 
busy world. 

"But few of the first settlers remain. Some were killed 
during war times; others were driven from their homes and 
did not return; many have moved away, but more have j^ass- 
ed away. The cemetery at old West Point is a mute witness 
to the changes from the old to the new times." 




5. T. BROADDUS. 

Born in Madison count}', Kentucky, Nov. 14, 1H43. Re- 
moved to Lincoln county, Kentucky, when three years old. 
Was educated in common schools and a private school of a 
Presbyterian minister. Removed to Monroe county. Mo., in 
1866. Married at Macon City to Miss Kate Burton in 1868. 
Six children have blessed this union. Removed to Rich Hill, 
Bates county. Mo., in March, 1882. Clerked in hardware store of 
J. L. Minor g years. Member and Secretary of School Board 
9 years; City Collector 6 years; Township Collector 3 years; 
Secretary Rich Hill Fair Association several 5'ears, and was 
elected County Clerk in i8g8, as a Democrat. He is deservedly 
popular with the people and his party. As evidence of this he 
lead his ticket by a good strong vote. Mr. Broaddus is a quiet, 
unassuming gentleman, and is making an efficient County Clerk. 



OF F,ATKS COUNTY. lyl 



IN DEER CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

Ctmti'i billed bij ,.ll.lcji nioimf. 

» 
My father came to Bates County in is'io. I was then eii2:h- 

teen years old. In 1854 I went to Harrisonville and worked 

at Winchester Paine's saw mill. In 185() I wont to work at 

the mill known as Bill's Mill, on Grand River, four miles 

south-west of Harrisonville. I worked at this mill until 1857. 

I then came back to this county and helped sot up and run 

a saw mill which was brought hero from Jackson county by 

David Moore and located on Mormon Fork, about seven miles 

north-west of where Adrian now stands. In 18r)8 I bo^an 

farming in Doer Creek township, but in ISOOI went back and 

worked at Paine's mill until 1.S61. 

During this period deer were very plentiful on the prairies, 
as many as thirty frequently being seen in one drove. 

When the war broke out in '61 I was a Union man, hence 
I was compelled to "hide out," seeking shelter in corn fields 
and brush patches, and depending on my friends to bring my 
food after night. In August, 1861, the bushwhackers caught 
me at my father-in-law's house. After a few words Bud 
Childers drew his gun and swore he would shoot me. I said, 
"Shoot and be d — I You can kill, but yon can't scare me." 
Then Dave Majors, Childers' accomplice, niterfered and told 
him to lower his gun or he would shoot him; that I had al- 
ways befriended their people and had done nothing against 
them. Childers drew his gun again and said, "If I were sure 
you was an abolitionist I would shoot your d— head off." 
They finally went away and left me[unharmed. From that 
time until October I kept "hid out." Then my father-in-law 
and myself decided to try to get our families out of Missouri, 
if possible. The state line was only sixteen- miles distant, 
but ever}^ road and cow-path leading to Kansas was guarded 
by the bushwhackers, and every man that was caught trying 
to get to Kansas was supposed to be a Uriion man, and he 
was robbed or killed, sometimes both. About this tinle the 
Battle of Lexington occurred and a large armv of Union 



15:^ OLD SETTLKUS" HISTOKY 

soldiers passed through the east part of Cass county, which 
caused the bushwhackers to Ue low. This, we thought, 
would give us a chance to go east, and possibly get out of 
the country. Knowing we were in constant danger where 
we were, we started east. We intended to go north when 
we got to Rose Hill, but it being very dark when we got 
there, and being anxious to get as far away as possible, we 
pushed on and lost our way. The next morning we came 
back to Rose Hill to get on the right road and were told that 
sixteen heavily armed men had passed through during the 
night and gone the road we had intended to go, but we missed 
it in the darkness. These men some hours afterwards had re- 
turned by the same way they went, and there was much spec- 
ulation as to what they wore after. We thought we knew 
what it meant and, in all probability, if we iiad not taken the 
wrong road they would have caught us near the Blackwatcr 
bridge, where wo had intended to cam]) that night. We con- 
tinued our journey to Illinois, where we remained until the 
spring of 180(3. I then returned to my farm in Bates County 
and found that my fence and other improvements had been 
burned. The first year I had to go to Kansas and worlc out, 
in order to get money to buy provisions. We went to Trad- 
ing Post, Kansas, for our Hour and meal. In the winter of 
1860 I went to Pleasant Hill and paid eighteen dollars for a 
barrel of pork. 

As soon as possible I built a house and re-fenced my farm, 
and enjoyed the blessings of peace and a reasonable degree 
of prosperity. 




R. E. PRITCHARD, 

one of the editors of the Rich Hill Tribune, was born in Cal- 
houn county, Iowa, May 31, 1877, and with his parents re- 
moved to Missouri in 1879, and in the spring of i88r came to 
Rich Hill where they still reside. He was educated in the 
public schools of that place and after finishing the high school 
served his apprenticeship as a printer, but on account of ill 
health was forced to leave the case. In 1897 he attended the 
Rich Hill Business College and graduated with honors in the 
class of '98. He then returned to the case but decided to teach 
school during the winter and taught a very successful term. 

In March, 1899, he purchased an half interest in the Rich 
Hill Tribune and continues as its junior editor. He is an in- 
telligent, upright and industrious young man, a staunch Re- 
publican and true to his party's principles. 



OF r.ATKs corxTV. 153 



EARLY SETTLExMENTS IN BATES COUNTY. 
Writtt'ii hij John JUni-iiuni , of .rhlridii . 

My fathor, B. H. Bowman, came to Bates County about 
the year 184(). I was born in Mound township in 1854, on 
the farm now known as the DiDon place, near Rocky Ford 
on Bones Fork. When I can first remember, there were less 
than one-half dozen houses in tiie settlement. It was several 
miles to the next settlement on the Miami; there were no 
other houses nearer than a small settlement at Crescent Hill. 
The next nearest settlement was near where Altona now is. 

The flr.st I remember, our milling was done at Cook's mill, 
on Grand River, in Henry county near Clinton. As far back 
as 1860 a man by the name of Medley was running a saw and 
grist mill on Bones Fork, about four miles north-west of 
Butler. The mill was burnt during the war, by some of 
Lane's men. At the same time tlie same party shot and kill- 
ed old Johnnie Barnett. Some time in the fall of 1862, Cap- 
tain Bell and his Company came to our house and said to my 
father; "Why didn't you run":"' Father replied; "Because if 
I am to be shot I want to sec the man who shoots me." 
They asked for arms, amunition and horses. My father said; 
"If you want to know anything about me. there is Mr. Cook 
who has known me since I was a bey." Bell turned to Dave 
Cook and said; "If you know this man, what do you know 
about himy" Cook straightened up in his saddle and said; 
"I have known him ever since I was a boy and he has always 
been a straightforward and peaceful citizen until this rebell- 
ion." My father said; "Well, what have I done since?" 
Cook answered; "I understand you have been in the Rebel 
army." Bell asked him if he had been, and what he was do- 
ing. Father replied; "I was wagon boss." Bell asked who 
he was with. "General Price." father replied. Then Bell 
said; "A man who could stand before such a crowd as this 
and tell the truth as you have done, is too brave a man to 
die; we knew all about where you had been and what you 
had been doing, and came here to kill you." Then turning 



154 OLD siyriLKUs" iiisTOiiV 

to his men ho said; "Tliis man shall not bo liiirt nor any of 
his property molested." But next morning some of his men 
came back and took our horses, nine head in all. They went 
from our house up the creek about a half mile, to the house 
of a man by the name of Tannahill. Thoy took him out in 
the road and killed him. 

Some time in the spring of 1862, a. band of men, suj^posed 
to be Lane's, came to Ham Kazes house, on the farm known 
as the Isaac Conkling farm. They surrounded the house 
and demanded the surrender of Lock and Woody. They re- 
fused to come out, and the band set lire to the house. Lock 
fired both barrels of his gun out at the door, then dropped 
his gun and ran to the rear window and fired several shots 
with his revolver, then went to tlie front door again and ran 
out through the men, jumped off a bluff and escaped from 
them in the darkness. He ran to our house, dressed only in 
his shirt and drawers. My father let him have a suit of 
clothes. They to3k Woody prisoner, and next day took him 
out on the prairie and killed him. 

In the spring of 1862, a party of bushwhackers caught 
Loft Cook on the mounds near old Parkerville. They took 
his saddle and bridle, and stripped him to his shirt and 
drawers and left him a rope to ride his horse with and told 
him to ride for his life. He obeyed them and came to our 
house, a distance of four miles. He was nearly frozen when 
he got there. My father gave him clothes to wear to Butler. 

When I was a boy, we always dressed our hogs and loaded 
tliem in the old-fashioned Santa Fe wagons, hitched on three 
or four yoke of oxen and hauled them to Osceola, on the 
Osage. At that time boats came up as far as that place. 
We would sell our pork and bring back flour and other gro- 
ceries. 

As soon as Bell tooi\: our horses we began to load our 
household effects in two ox wagons, and started to Henry 
county, and then went to Morgan county and stayed one 
year. In the fall of 1865 we came back to our home on 
Bones Fork. At that time there were only two buildings in 
Butler, and they were stables. In the spring of 1866, Ben 
White opened a store in one of them and lived in the other 
one. In 1866 we went to Pleasant Hill, Cass county and we 
paid $10.00 per hundred for flour. We then had flour bread 



OF RATES COUNTY. laf) 

only on Sunday, and later, when flour came down to >^5.0(» 

per hundred, we could have it for breakfast every morning. 

Before the war we did much of our trading at West Point. 



WHEN THE COUNTY WAS YOUNG. 

[''or Tin' Old Scl1l(-rs' llistori/, Inj J. A . Ldiiiaii- 

As I am considered one of the old settlers of Bates Count}^ 
I have been requested to w^'ite a short sketch of "The good 
old days" when this country was young,> — and so was I. 

I was born in Tennessee. In the spring of 1840 my father 
concluded to go west and grow up with the country — but 
that was before Greeley used those famous words of advice. 
So we boarded an old land schooner and started for what 
was then considered the land of the setting sun. We crossed 
the Cumberland mountains and journeyed westward overbad 
roads, fording the unbridged streams, and finally reached 
the banks of the great river that was wending its undisturb- 
ed w^ay along the cast side of the little town of St. Louis. 
We drove on the ferry boat and were roAved across to the 
Missouri side. The only thing I can remember about the 
town was seeing an old darkey who w^as scraping the sugar 
from the bottom of a barrel. ' Oh! how I did long for a lump 
of that sugar — but I did not get it. The journey from there 
to the south-west occupies a blank space in my memory — the 
sugar barrel incident having completely overshadowed it. 
When next memory comes to my aid we were living in a cab- 
in which w^as situated on the banks of the beautiful White 
River, in Taney county. Mo. In the fall of 1841 we again 
"pulled up stakes" and crossed the Ozarks, going through 
the old town of Springfield, Green county, and then across 
the beautiful prairies, and some hills, until we crossed the 
Osage River, into what is now Bates County, near the Osage, 
or Harmony, Mission. We then followed the old Missouri 
trail to the Grand River. We secured a room in a log house 
Avhich belonged to Allen Ingle. This counti-y at that time 
was in Van Buren county. 



i5<> or.i) ,'^i:tti:kks" histoky 

During the winter of J 841-1' my father bought a few im- 
provements which had been made on land situated in wliat is 
now Deer Creek township, (The land not being in tiie market 
yet no title to it could be secured.) where he lived on Uncle 
Sam's land until 1853, wlien he sold out his claim to E. D. 
Sullens, and then pre-empted a half section of land in the 
same township. Here he made his home until the breaking 
out of the great civil war. 

Could the present generation see this country as it was in 
tliose early days it would be the most beautiful siglit their 
eyes ever beheld. They would look across a beautiful flower 
garden, stretching as f ar as tlie eye could reach; could travel 
for miles in any direction and it would be the same, with 
here and there a little farm along the edge of the timber of 
some stream. The first settlers never got away from the 
timber, and if a person had told them those vast plains, (they 
were sometimes called), would ever be covered with liouscs, 
farms and cities, and the beautiful natural flower gardens be 
blotted out of existence, they would have considered him to 
be crazy and wanted to have him restrained for fear lie would 
do some one liarm. Now imagine these vast gardens filled 
with song birds of every description, all sounding praises to 
tlie Great Creator — heavenly music indeed! — on the different 
little organs which God had given them for that purpose and 
taught them to use. Tliey never missed a note or made a 
discordant sound I Compare that music with wliat we now 
hear ground out of some instrument of man's device. Oh! 
carry me back to that garden, filled with flowers and birds, 
once more. But, alas! those days are gone, never to come 
again. Those were the days when the country was younjl 
I, also, was young; we have grown old together! 

The greatest danger to the early settlements, and the one 
thing most dreaded, was fire. When those vast stretches 
of grass began to dry the people began to devise means for 
the protection of their homes. Every piece of cultivated 
ground had a rail fence around it, such a thing as wire fence 
being unknown. If a man had but one hog he would turn it 
out and fence against it. In a short time these rails b33am3 
very dry and tlie old dry grass would accumulate in the 
fence corners and if fire once caught, it was there to stay as 
long as any rails and grass were left to stay witli it. The 



OF nV'l'KS COUNTY. 157 

best protection and the one usually adopted, was to plow- 
two or three furrows on each side of a strip of land, about 
thirty feet wide, entirely around their farms; then just as 
soon as possible they would burn the grass off the strip. 
They were very careful not to let the fire .get out on the prai- 
rie for fear their neighbor would not have his farm similarly 
protected. Once in a great while a farmer would Jet the fire 
get the start of him, on account of a little carelessness or a 
hard puff of wind, and then it took a good horse .to outrun it 
if the wind was blowing like it frequently does in the fall of 
the year. No road that was then in the country offered any 
resistance, and it would cross small streams and not make a 
halt. Of all tile scrambling of deer, rabbits, birds and other 
wild animals to get out of the track of the devouring flames! 
Neighbors were few and far between in those old days, but 
they were usually true and faithful. If a man or some mem- 
ber of his family got sick tlie neighbors would go miles to 
aid them. If anyone had a cabin to raise, all they had to do 
was to lot the neiglibors know and tiiey would always get 
there to help them. If one liad a large house or barn to raise 
they v/ould usually invite the whole neighborhood, and the 
ladies would make one or two quilts while the men w^ere 
raising the building. Very often the young people — and 
some of the older ones — would have a dance at night. On 
those occasions the ladies wore their best dresses, the ma- 
terial of wdiich the}^ had, generally, manufactured them- 
selves. I have seen as pretty and good young ladies as ev- 
er walked the earth, who helped raise the cotton, pick, card 
and spin it, and weave all their wearing apparel. That 
made of wool was clipped from the sheep and converted into 
linsey and jeans, and nearly every family kept a few sheep 
for their own use. They also usually raised a little patch of 
hemi^ or flax for the lint, and would first run it through 
what they called '"the brake." That would mash the woody 
part off the stalks. Tlien they would take it to the "shuck- 
ing board," which was set in the ground and stood about 
three feet high. They would hold it over that board and 
strike downwards with a wooden knife until they got all the 
woody substance out. It was then ready for the "hackel," 
and when it went through that it was ready for the spinning 
wheel. The long, straigiit lint was used for the warp, and 



158 OI.D SKTTLKKs" UISTUKY 

the tow lor llUing. II we had that kiiici of clothing for boys 
now you would often find them hanging on some barbed-wire 
fence; if the wire did not break and let them loose, some- 
times you might be so late in linding them that their 
clothes w^ould have to go to their younger brothers. The 
writer has seen many a boy, from three to eight years of age, 
wear a suit of clothes made of that kind of cloth, all in one 
piece with only one button on it, and that under his chin. 

The first school house in the north part of the county I 
have any knowledge of, was built in a grove about a mile 
north-west of the old tow^n of Crescent Hill, about fifty-seven 
years ago. It was built by donation of work. There was 
not a dollar in money paid out on it; everything was manu- 
factured in the timber near the building site. The fioor was 
of split logs, the seats were made of logs split open and the 
flat side dressed with the ax and hole^ bored in the ends and 
legs stuck in. Tlie logs and the seats were all nicely turned, 
that is they were turned the other side up affcer the leg 5 had 
been driven in the auger holes. Then they wer3 reidy for 
the polishing; this Avas done by the scholars during school 
hours and it was a slow i^rocess. The scribe did his part of 
polishing during the sumaier season for a number of years, 
but did not get all the splinters off. Our writing desks were 
made the same way, only the pins were put in the wall, just 
below the window — one log out of the side of the house — and 
a broad slab split out and laid on these pins. 

If we had to close the window^ which was frequently the 
case in the spring-time, all we had to do was to turn the 
slab on edge and it formed a shutter. The house was cover- 
ed with boards split from large bur oak trees, laid on polos 
and held in place by other poles on top of them. The house 
was not complete until there was a large fire-place and chim- 
ney in one end, built of sticks and plastered over with mud. 
The spaces between the logs in the walls were also treated 
with mud. When the mud was dry the house w^is ready for 
use. 

Schools in those days were different from what they are 
now. The teacher was employed by the month, and had to 
teach from the first of one month until the first day of the 
next — putting in every day except Saturdays and Sundays — 
and they would commence school as soon as there were 



OF P.ATKS rOlXTV. 1 5!> 

enough pupils present to form a class and hold until very 
late in the evening. The teacher generally boarded around 
with the patrons of the school. There was no escape; every 
one had to keep him one week until he got around, tJien he 
would start in again. 

The school the writer attended for a number of years was 
what was called "02)en school;" that is, the pupils all studied 
out loud. Just imagine thirty or forty boys and girls trying 
to see wlio could read or spell tiie loudest; and tlie teacher 
hearing a class recite at the same time. But it seems that 
everything has to undergo a change, and when the old fash- 
ioned school was done away with and we were ushered into 
a "'silent school" and kept there all day it seemed to us that 
we were in a "dead" school, as well as a silent one. But we 
lived over it, as we have lived over a great many changes 
that have come to pass since wq walked tw^o miles to school 
through grass waist high and no road except where a log had 
been dragged back and forth until the weeds and grass were 
beaten down sutHciently to form a respectable path. But 
still the grass was wet with dew in the morning and full of 
snakes, and the children were all bare-footed; but they were 
on the alert and comparatively few suffered from snake bite. 
The bite of a large number of these reptiles was harmless, 
but tlie rattler, copperhead and viper were dreaded. 

The country was just as full of game of all kinds as it was 
of snakes. Deer could be seen galloping over the prairie 
any day, in gangs of from two or three to ten or a dozen. 
Turkeys! the timber was fall of them. You could hear them 
gobble in the spring of the yeav, and call to each other from 
all sides. It was no troublo for a hunter to get all the deer 
and turkey lie wanted. 

Kansas was then inhabited by the Indians, and they would 
come over into the border counties every fall and winter to 
hunt. The squaws would make baskets and trade them for 
provisions. The men would hunt until they got all the meat 
they could carry back with them. They generally brought 
a lot of ponies to pack th(_Mr meat and camp fixtures on. I 
have seen one old buck Indian carry two deer as far as two 
miles to the camp. 

The Indians along the border were a very quiet, inoffensive 
people; seldom touched anytiiing without permission, and if 



100 OLD SKTTLKU.s" HISTORY 

any one told them tD get out they would "get up and git;" 
but the settlers seldom interfered with them. A great many 
of the Indians could converse in our language, but if a half 
dozen came to the house you could only get one of them to 
talk. I have known them to stop and eat dinner at my fath- 
er's house and leave a little child tied on a pony's back out 
in the road, and another papoose tied to a board, and the 
board set up against the side of the house. No attention 
would be paid to them and they did not once make a sound. 
But i)oor Lo! he has gone, as have the birds and the flowers, 
the deer and the turkeys! And the prairie chickens, I for- 
got to mention them; and the quails! They were nearly as 
thick then as the chinch bugs are now. The chickens could 
be caught in traps in the winter season, hundreds of them; 
but the quails were hard to trap. They could be driven In- 
to nets, how^ever, and thousands were caught in that man- 
ner. A great many wolves, also, w^ere caught in traps, or 
wolf pens, as they were sometimes called. Many different 
kinds of fur- bearing animals were caught in traps, or dead- 
falls, and their hides passed as readily as cash at the stores. 
The next subject that presents itself to my mind is our old 
time preachers and cliurches. The first church building was 
fashioned after the school house, only larger, but for many 
years meetings were held at hoQsos or in the shelter of the' 
forest trees, "God's first Temples." The Baptists, Method- 
ists and Cumberland Presbyterians were the only denomi- 
nations represented here then — -if my memory serves me 
rightly. Our preachers in those days were old fashioned 
followers of that meek and lowly Nazarine, like Paul and 
Peter, and that disciple Jesus loved. They w^are all right 
in those days, but they would not answer the purpose in this 
enlightened day and age of the world. They were just plain 
God made preachers — they had not been to William Jewel to 
prepare for their labor, but had to depend on the Lord for 
the message they were to deliver to the people. They labor- 
ed on the farm during the week and preached on the Sabbath; 
and about once each year, when they got their work in good 
shape, they put in two or three weeks preaching, and the 
people would come from miles around, to the house selected 
for the services. And then w^e would have one of those old- 
fashioned revivals which we now hear about but never s(^e. 



O F B A T E S C O U N T Y . 1 (J 1 

But those brave old \'olunteers, who were preaching for the 
good of the people and laboring for love of the Master — they 
are gone with the birds and flowers! If a church had put 
the question to one of them as to what salary he would ex- 
pect, he would have been insulted. They looked to the Mas- 
ter, who called them to preach, for their pay;and He never 
failed them if they performed their work according to the 
pattern He had given them. 



THE NOTTINGHAM MURDER. 

I can not close this sketch without giving an account of 
the first revolting crime committed in the county, and the 
only one for which the perpetrator has paid the life penalty 
by legal execution. The spot where this crime was commit- 
ted is not now in the county limits, but is near the east line 
of Vernon county, some twelve miles from the Osage River, 
whicli now forms the boundry line between the counties. 
This territory was at that time, however, in Bates County, 
and Papinsville, on the river, was the county seat. It ap- 
pears that the records of this case are lost, but from my own 
recollections, aided by those of a few other persons who were 
living in the county at that time, I submit the following: — ■ 
It was about the first day of April, 1854, late in the evening, 
that Wm. H. Nottingham killed his wife, Sarah. He after- 
wards gave the details of the crime about as follows: "I 
had just returned home and my wife went to milk the cows. 
I went out to help her as I usually did, when at home, and 
when I came near enough she squirted milk on my clothes. 
I caught some of the milk in my hand and tried to rub it on 
Jier face, "and she called for help. I did not know until then 
that she was angry. She then got up and said sheweuld go 
to her father's. I told her she should not go. But she 
started' and I followed; about one-half mile from the house I 
got in front of her and hit her in the face with a rock and 
knocked her doAvn. She then said she would go back to our 
l:ome, and I would have gladly picked her up, earried her 



102 ot.D si-yrTLEUs" history 

back and doctored her wound-;, but was afraid she would tell 
her people and knew that they would kill me. So I took the 
rock and beat her to death. I then picked her up and car- 
ried her some distance from the road, and hid her there, until 
the next night; then I went back to thoroughly conceal the 
body. I found, to my surprise that I could not lift her al- 
though I had carried her, easily, the night before; so I had to 
cut her in two pieces. I then carried the body to a more se- 
cluded place, dug a hole in the ground and buried it. Then 
I covered the spot over with dry leaves in order to hide all 
trace of the grave. I tiien went home and placed in circula- 
tion the report tJiat my wife had left me, and I thought she 
had gone to her father's home." 

After a few daj^s Mrs. Nottingham was missed and the 
neighbors began to suspect that all was not right. ' A revi- 
val meeting was in progress nearby, and Wm. Nottingham 
took a very prominent part in it. At length one of the neigh- 
bors concluded, for his own satisfaction, to investigate the 
matter, and went to Mrs. Nottingham's father and made in- 
quiry concerning her. When it was found that she was not- 
there, steps were taken to ascertain what had become of her. 
Her father swore out a warrant for Nottingham, and he was 
taken into custody. Then a searching party, composed of 
neighbors of the family, was organized and began to scour 
the woods in search of the body — as all now believed that a 
murder had been committed. Tliis was on April, 15th, and 
on the 16th inst. her father, by some ^unseen hand, was h^d 
to the spot where the body of his child lay concealed. Al- 
though the searchers could find no evidence of any recent 
changes there, the father insisted in his belief that the grave 
mu.st be near that spot. Finally one of the party, by prob- 
ing the ground with a stick, discovered the spot where tiio 
soil had been disturbed. The leaves were raked away and 
the father, himself, uncovered the mutilated remains of his 
daughter. 

Then came the tedious waiting and the excitement attend- 
ing the trial. A carefully selected jury, composed of some 
of the best citizens of the county, after hearing all the evi- 
dence in the case, pronounced him guilty of murder in the 
first degree, and the judge j^assed the death sentence, which 
was duly carricMl out in the old town of Papinsville, on the 



OF liATEfS COLNTY. 163 

north bank of the Osage River. Of those now hving who 
took part in this trial are; Edmund Bartlett, who was a mem- 
ber of the grand jury whicli found a bill against Wm. H. 
Nottingham for murder in the first degree; J. S. McCraw; 
a member of the jury which found accused guilty, as charg- 
ed in the indictment; J. B. Newberry, who made the hand- 
cuffs which were placed on the wrists of the prisoner. Mrs. 
L. J. Lamon, who is still living, was a neighbor of, and friend 
to Sarah Nottingham, the woman who was so brutally mur- 
dered. 

While not claiming that the deed was done wliile he was 
under the influence of liquor, Dr. Nottingham attributed the 
depraved moral condition, wliich made such conduct possi- 
ble, to the effects of strong drink, and from the gallows 
warned young women against linking their lives with any- 
one vvlio partook of the product of tlie still. 



CONCLUSION. — In couclusion I will say that there are 
only a few of the old pioneers, who were here when this 
country was young, left among us. There is only one in this 
township who was here when I came, J. S. McCraw, whose 
father was living here when we came. We old fellows seem 
to be different from the balance of the community; we seem 
to be drawn together and have more love for each other than 
is found in the younger generation. But we are passing 
away, one by one, and soon our children and the young peo- 
ple growing up around us will be called "The Old Settlers of 
Bates County." 



1(U OLD settlers" lllSTOliY 



EARLY HISTORY AND INTERESTING INCIDENTS. 

Siiort Sketches bij .Man ij of The Oldest Living Seitl(-Ts- Co/ir 
trlbtibed to Tiie Old Settlers' Rlslunj. 

John H. Thomas: The foiniders of Harmony Mission 
came from New York, in 1821, as missionaries to tlie indians. 
Tliere are none of them now hving". The Mission was aban- 
doned in 1837, when the indians were moved West. Tiie 
Government paid >pHOO;) for the property and the money 
went to the society which had sent out tlie Missionaries. The 
first postofiice estabhshed in the county was at the Mission, 
but was called Batesville. It was afterwards moved to Pap- 
insville. Harmony Missipn was also the first county seat, 
so established in 1841, but moved to Papinsville in 1848. 
The first court house was at Papinsville, completed in 1855. 
When the county seat was removed, in 1857, the court house 
was sold to Philip Zeal. It was burned in 1862. The first 
bridge across the river was built at Papinsville in 1853 or 4, 
and was burned in 1861 by General Price's men. A commis- 
sion appointed by the General Assembly located the county 
seat at Butler, in 1856, and a court house was built there in 
1857. This was burned duiing the war, and a frame house 
w^as built in 1866. This was in turn replaced by the present 
court house in 1870. The first voting precinct in the county 
was at Harmony Mission, and the first election held there 
was in 1841. The first grist mill I remember Avas the Char- 
rett mill, 1833. He also run a saw mill and was succeeded 
by John Parks. William and Aaron Thomas had a grist 
mill in 1848; the first mill in the county run by a tread wheel. 
They worked oxen on the wheel. George Thomas had a 
carding machine, run by the same kind of. power, and work- 
ed horses on it. It was erected in 1848. He also bought a 
thi-eshing machine at West Point in 1859, which was tlie on- 
ly one I knew of before the war. Coal was dug out of the 
ground in several places as far back as I can remember, for 
use mostly in blacksmithing, but was not mined to any ex- 
tent before the war. 




GEO. TEMPLETON, 

a descendant of an early familv of Virginia, of Scotch descent on the side of 
Michael Templeton. his father, and of an old Pennsylvania family of 
German descent on the side of Lovina Templeton, his mother, was born in 
Champion, Trumbull Count}, Ohio, oi. the 26th day of May, 1850, lived 
and worked on a farm and in a mill in his native coimty until he reached 
the age of about twenty-two years, up to which time his opportunities for 
an education had been limited to a few months attendance at district 
school. At this age, and at his own expense, he began the task of 
educating himself, and the following nine years of his time was spent 
alternately in attending Hiram College and Medina Normal School, in 
teaching and working on the farm, spending part of the time 1878 to 1881 
in reading law in the office ot Senator L. C. Jones, at Warren, Ohio, 
and in the office of the Hon. T. W. Whiteman at Carrollton, Mo., 
at which last named place he was admitted to the bar in January of the 
year last named, and in the same month located at Rich Hill where he has 
ever since resided and practiced his profession. He was married on 
December 15, 1881, to Emma J. Streator, a resident of his native neghbor- 
hood in Ohio and a member of one of the well known families in the 
northern part of said state; from this union two sons were born, George S. 
and Frank H. 

Judge Templeton, as he is familiarh" ^nown, is a republican, conserva- 
tive but strong in the faith of his party. He was nominated in 1881 for 
prosecuting attorney and in 1898 for state representative and in both 
campaigns developed a strength beyond that of his party vote. As a lawyer 
he has enjoved a lucrative practice, is regarded strictly upright and noted 
for his fidelity to his clients. The judge's early farm attachments still 
cling to him as is evidenced by his ample and commodious home surround- 
ings, he being noted for his love for fine stock, of which he is regarded an 
excellent judge. 



OF l'.ATKS COUNTY. lt)» 

Mrs. a. C. Bauuows. Papinsville: As I have lived hei-e 
since 1841, I am able to give some events of early history 
from memory. What little I try to give prior to that diite, 
is what I have heard from older settlers. Before the whites 
settled here, this section was set apart by the Government 
as a reservation for the Osage Indians. They were an ex- 
ceptionally docile and quiet tribe, and the Government Agent 
reported that they wanted the Missionaries to come and 
teach and civilize them. They had been familiar with white 
men, as traders often came among them to buy their furs 
etc. Missionaries came from the East and built houses 
and a school and church house. They came in ISlU, but 
they were not settlers in the true sense, as tiiey did not 
come to make homes for themselves. They all went away 
when the Mission was disbanded in 1837. But by that time 
a number of persons had settled along both sides of the riv- 
er. In 1847, a man named Papin gave the county forty acres 
of the land he had entered, situated on the north bank of the 
Osage, for a location for a county seat, so the town was call- 
ed Papinsville. It is, therefore, the oldest town in Bates 
County. The first court house was buiit of logs, in 1845; 
but a brick court house was built in 1853. Also a bridge was 
built across the river about the same time. The bridge was 
burned in 1861 by Mis.souri troops, and the court house by 
Kansas soldiers, December 13, ISOl. In 1856, the county 
seat was located where Butler now is, on land entered by a 
Mr. Morgan, and a court house built soon afterwards. On 
account of the bitterness existing between the people of this 
section and the Kansas people, and to stop the raiding bush- 
whackers. General Ewing ordered all inhabitants to leave 
the county on September 9, 1863, and we did not see our 
houses again until after the war closed in 1865. 



Washington Park, Virginia: I came to Bates County in 
the spring of 1858. There were, at that time, twelve or fif- 
teen houses in Butler, but it improved fast until the com- 
mencement of the war. There was a grist mill about three 
miles east of Butler: also one at West Point: and a saw mill 



UVjU .-ij/l ll.J'.li.^ illMl^ltl 



near Butler; all run by horse power. When war commenced 
there was a battalion of about live hundred southern sympa- 
thizers formed, and those who would not aid them had to 
leave the county, or be subject to innumerable persecutions, 
and in danger of their lives. A regiment of Home Guards 
was organized to protect the people. The southern men 
then either entered the regular service or joined the bush- 
whacking bands, and kept the country terrorized. For this 
reason General Ewing ordered all to leave the county. From 
then until the close of the war the county was deserted. 



Jason S. Woodfin: Yes, I guess I am an old settler! 
I have lived in this county longer than any other man. I re- 
member a great many things about the settlement of the 
country — some is too good to tell, and some too bad. When 
I settled here this country was full of wild turkey, deer, buf- 
falo, elk and wild Indians. If you want to know anything 
back of that you must hunt up some old Osage squaw. Indian 
Agent, William Waldo, came here in 1816; then the Mission- 
aries came up from St. Louis on a fiatboat, loaded with gro- 
ceries, dry goods, beads, etc., and, if the truth were kaown, 
I exjDect a little whisky, or sod-corn juice, which was brought 
along for the purpose of civilizing the Indians. They s:iy 
that those Indians were a pretty decent sort of people before 
the whites came and sold them whisky. But after they got 
to living on government rations and drinking whisky they got 
too mean and lazy to live. The Missionarj^ preacher was 
Dr. Jones. The Missionaries stayed here until the Indians 
went farther west. Then they left and all the buildings rot- 
ted down. There is no sign of the settlement or Missionaries 
left; no, not one! A town was then started on the river, 
where a Frenchman had a cabin and traded with the Indians, 
and white men also. This was named Papinsville and was 
the first town in the county. Along about 1850 to 55 it was 
quite a large town. Then Butler was started and the county 
seat moved there. Papinsville did not quite follow the old 
Mission, but there is not much of it left. Butler was a good 




DR. J. T HULL. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Johnson county^ 
Mo., April 23, 1868, near Knob Noster. He was]. educated at 
the Warrensburg Normal, and graduated from"the Dental Col- 
lege of the Central University, at Lousisville, Kentucky, in the 
class of '90. Began the practice of his profession at Knob 
Noster in i8go, and came to Butler in 1893, established an 
office and has enjoyed a lucrative practice ever since. He is 
recognized as one of the leading dentists of the state; and is a 
cultured and progressive citizen. 



OF BATKS COUNTY. 107 

sized town when the war broke out, and there were several 
thousand people in the county. When they commenced 
fighting, a great many left. Then the Army men ordered 
them all oat. There was one man who wouldn't go and they 
shot him. After the war there were only a few" houses left 
in the county; there were three in Walnut township. The 
first mill near here was on Jerry Jackson's farm, in 1847. 
Before the war our threshing was all done by "Armstrong" 
machines — main- force and awkwardness, like the negro 
got the hen off the roost I The first steam engine got here in 
1868. Coal was first mined in the county by Daniel Woodfin 
and his brother, John, for blacksmithing purposes, in the 
year LS-lO. 



Note: The name of Jason S. Woodfin appears on the roll 
of "Our Honored Dead" for the year 18'.)d. — Publishers. 



J. J. Ohlek: When I came to tiiis county most things 
were quite different from what they now are. Wm. Hughes 
kept a little store in Crescent Hill, where we could get meat, 
molasses, etc. We had to go to Pleasant Hill for flour, and 
got a poor quality of flour. There was not a fence between 
Crescent Hill and Butler. I helped to make the first fence 
between these two places, on J. S. McCraw's farm. I went 
over into Kansas to get seed corn, and paid one dollar per 
bushel for it. We dropped our corn by hand and covered it 
with hoes. J. S. McCraw and myself went to Butler to get 
some dry goods. There were only three or four old huts in 
Butler then. We drove over the open prairie all the way. 
We went into Henry county to buy some chickens; paid forty 
cents each, and could only get one-half a dozen. Bacon cost 
twenty-two cents per pound; unbleached muslin, thirty-seven 
cents per yard; a pair of cow-skin boots, seven dollars. My 
wife has a quilt made of calico which cost thirty cents per 
yard. 



1(58 OI.D SETTLKUS' IITSTOKY 

Clark Wix: While I have Uved m Bates County all my 
life, I was too young to remember much about the country 
as it was before the war. I can, however, remember seeing 
wild turkeys, deer and wolves in great numbers, running over 
what is now a thickly settled country. I can remember going 
with my father to mill, when the Thomas brothers run a wind 
mill in Lone Oak township. I can also remember going to 
a little horse mill four miles east of Butler, run by Jesse and 
Isaac Fowler. I rode a horse, without saddle of any kind, 
and carried a sack of corn. There were too many ahead of 
me and I had to stay over night to get my grist. There was 
then only one house between our home and the mill. My 
father, J. S. Kidge and Jesse and Ivan Deweere built the 
first school house, at their own expense, there in the commu- 
nity. It was located near our home. Father and Ivan De- 
weere bought, at Boonville, Mo. , the first mowing machine 
ever brought into the neighborhood. It was an old John P. 
Mannie, one wheel. It took four good liorses to pull it, and 
people came from as far as ten miles away to see it cut prai- 
rie grass. I have seen my father stand in the door-way of 
our home and shoot wild turkeys, which had followed our 
tame flock into the yard. 




HENRY SPEER. 

Henry Speer, whose cut heads this article, was born in 
Shelby county, Ohio, Sept. 5, i<S4i; was raised on a farm, 
worked in the fields in summers and attended the country school 
from three to six months in the winter. His father dying when 
he was thirteen years of age he was tfirown upon his own re- 
sources, and was to a great extent his own master at a very 
early period in his career. 

He saw active service in the Union array during the war. 
First enlisted in Co. F. Benton Cadets, or Freemont's Infantry 
Guard, and was with Freemont in his Missouri campaign in 1861. 
After Freemont was relieved of the command in Missouri this 
regiment, which was irregular, was ordered to St. Louis, and on 
January Sth, 1862, was mustered out of the service. He re- 
turned to his home in Ohio and remained till July, 1862, when 
he enlisted in Co. B. 50th Ohio Infantry, with which he re- 
mained to the close of the war, and has a record as a soldier of 
which he is justly proud. He came to Bates county in 1866 
and has been a citizen of the county ever since. He has been 
closely identified with the fruit interests of the county and is at 
present engaged in the Nursery busineiis at this place. 

Since the above was written Mr. Speer has been called to 
his reward beyond the dark river. 



OF BATKS COUNTY. 160 



SINCE THE WAR. 

I am at a loss to know how to begin to redeem my prom- 
ises made you, that I would write something in regard to the 
settlement and development of tliis county since the war, 
particularly its fruit interests. When I first landed in Bates 
County in June, 1886, it was very thinly settled. Pleasant 
Gap was then auiong the largest, if not the largest town in 
the county. Butler had a few little offices and a store or 
two, and a few shacks of residences. The prairies were all 
lying out wild. An occasional chimney showing where the 
ravages of war had destroyed a once happy home — but all 
tliese were near the timber. No settler had as yet gone very 
far out on the prairie. At that time the land a few miles 
from timber was considered unfit for farming and only suit- 
able for grazing as timber for rails and wood was consid- 
ered indispensable. I made a short visit with friends in this 
county and then turned my face to the north and looked ov- 
er a considerable portion of North Missouri and Eastern 
Kansas. But I concluded Bates County was the place for 
me and I returned. I made this trip mostly on foot aiid 
alone, a small portion by wagons and cars and wound ujd on 
a ca3^use. So I had a good chance to see the country. 

L3avenworth was then the largest city in the West, with 
St. Joe a good second and Kansas City just beginning to get 
after them. The changes you all know. While in Kansas 
I struck the grasshoppers, or rather they struck me. I pass- 
ed througli them in countless millions and left them just at 
the state line as I turned east. I got to Butler just at dark 
and put up at the Hotel Walley, just opened. The house is 
still standing just north of Powers' mill. There I had the 
privilege of sleeping on the floor. The next day I went to 
Pleasant Gap where I had friends. In relating my exper- 
ience there I told about the grasshoppers in Kansas, and 
while none of them came square out and called me a liar, 
they looked as if the}^ thought I was the d-mdest liar in 



17U OLD SKTTLKKS lII.STrjRY 

America. This was the last of September and aoout October 
1st, the hoppers arrived and I was vindicated, and have 
passed for a reasonably truthful man ever since. It was 
something wonderful to see the piles of hoppcn-s. The 
weather was <>:ettin.i5- cool and they would pile upon the sides 
of the buildinii'S and in the ruts and ditches alonj^' the road. 
It was a continual crush, under tlie horses' hoofs and the 
wheels of the wag'on while driving on the road. But they 
came too late to do much damag-e, and the most of the spring- 
brood was hatched out in an early warm spell and tlien kill- 
ed by a hard freeze. The grasshopper visitation of 1874 and 
'75 is familiar to a great many and I will pass it by. 

•I engaged in merchandising in Pleasant Gap and continued 
there till the spring of 1871 when I moved on a farm on the 
south line of Summit township, where I engaged in farming 
and fruit growing. When I first came to Pleasant Gap all 
the goods, including lumber, were hauled from Pleasant Hill 
to all points througii this country. Prom Pleasant Gap we 
had no direct road. I crossed the ]H*airie east of Butler 
from Pleasant Gap to the Mounds several times without any 
road, but about May 1, 1867, a company of ut, started out for 
Pleasant Hill for goods, and concluded we would lay out a- 
direct road. We loaded tw^o wagons with stakes and Judge 
Kreger and myself went ahead on ponies to scdect the cross- 
ings on the sloughs. The wagons following set up a line of 
stakes near enougii together to be seen from one to another. 
When we got to the Butler and Pleasant Hill road we put up 
a post and sign-board pointing down the J'ow of stakes: 
Pleasant Gap, Papinville, Nevada, Ft. Scott, etc. Such was 
the imigration to this country and soutii and west of us at 
that time that in two weeks there was a well jnarked road 
down that line, and every stake gone for camp tires. A 
great many of the marks of that old road are yet visibh.s but 
as we did not pay any attention to lines, only to get there 
by the shortest route, it is all inclosed in farms and has dis- 
appeared. 

There were a few orchards in the county at that time 
which had escaped the ravages of war, one of the most not- 
ed in the eastern part of the county being the John Hale or- 
chard. Judge Roger also had quite an orchard, then sever- 
al small orchards; but the apples were mostly Janetous which 



OF BATES COUNTY. ML 

did well in those days and broii<4iit tine prices. Teams coiii- 
iuy from Kansas every fall foi* apples and paying good 
prices. 

There were quite a good many small peach orchards in the 
cjunty, all seedlings. The peaches were good and some of 
them very line. I am frequently asked why we don't ha\'e 
such fruit now. The seedling peaches are poor things and 
the Janeton apple appears to be played out. The answer is: 
These orcliards were planted on fertile soil. The scabs and 
rusts and rots and all the different fungus growths which 
trouble us now, had not been introduced. The insect enem- 
ies were kept down by the numerous birds, and some of the 
most destructive insect pests were yet unknown. The peach 
seeds from which those trees were grown had been brought 
to this country, had been selected from tlie best peaclies, 
and nearly all the seedlings were fairly good, but as young 
trees came up haphazard from their seed, they have proved 
in most cases to be nearly worthless, as the tendency is back- 
ward to the original type. It is only by careful selection, 
and accident, that we can get any advance. At that time 
there was no small fruit grown, the woods were depended 
upon for blackberries and raspberries, and the prairies for 
strawberries, which were of line flavor and considered good 
enough for anybody. But in size they would compare un- 
favorably with the Buboch and Jumbo and others of the 
present. 

Tnose old orchards planted before the war have all prac- 
tically disappeared, only a tree here and there remaining; 
showing very clearly that we cannot expect fruit trees to 
live to a great age in this climate. In fact most of the trees 
planted soon after the war are dead or in a decaying condi- 
tion. The lesson we sliould learn from this is, plant varie- 
ties that come into bearing young, give them good cultiva- 
tion and replace them with another orchard when they begin 
to fail. The first orchards planted here after the war were 
selected with very little knowledge of the adaptability of va- 
rieties. 

In 1871-72-73 I set an orchard of one thousand apple trees 
with some peach, pear and plumb. I knew nothing about 
what to plant, and there was no one to tell me, as but few 
varieties had been tried. My planting was therefore to a 



172 OLD SKTTLEHS' HhSToRY 

great extent experimental. I planted some liity varj^'ties of 
apples, all of them highly recommended and all doing well 
somewhere, but out of the whole list not more than e*ight or 
ten varieties were worth planting here. The result was, 
that while the Ben Davis, Jonathan and a few others were 
very profitable they had too much of a load of dead heads to 
carry to make the whole investment very remunerative. 
This was the experience of most planters at that time. A 
few were fortunate enough to strike the paying varieties in 
their setting and their orchards were very profitable. 

During the 70's quite an interest w^as taken in orchard 
planting, and perhaps more fruit trees were planted than 
during any other decade in the history of the county, and as 
the soil was new, insect pests scarce, the scab and rust and 
rot only beginning to show in a few localities, most of the 
trees did well and made a healthy growth, and during the 
8()'s were bearing tine fruit, which found a ready sliipping 
market south and w^est, after the Kansas wagon trade stop- 
ped, which happened as soon as eastern Kansas could grow 
a supply. The apple shipments culminated in 1890, when 
with a good crop here and almost a total failure in the East. 
the apple crop brought more money to Bates County than 
any other crop grown. The crop of 1891 was also good and 
brought a good revenue to the county. Since then the ap- 
ple shipment from this county has been on the decline, ow- 
ing to several causes; The decline of tiiose orchai'ds plant- 
ed from '66 to '80 without a corresponding amount of young- 
trees to take their place; An increased home demand; but 
more than all else, the falling off is due to the ravages of in- 
sect enemies and fungus growth; such as scabs, blight, etc. 
Now what is the remedy of this and how can we succeed in 
growing good crops of tine fruit again y My answer is: By 
planting varieties which have proven successful, giving 
them care and cultivation, and fertilizing if needed. Spray- 
ing both for fungus growth and injurious in sects, with these 
instructions fairly carried out, good fruit and plenty ot it 
will be the result. On the other hand buy high prici'd novel- 
ties and new things of tlie tree peddlers, stick them in the 
ground and leave them to take care of tliemselves and I will 
guarantee failure every time. Tlu^ neglect of our trees has 
more to do with our failure than anytiiing else. Who would 



OF BATKS COUNTY. 173 

now think of planting a field of corn and leaving it to itself, 
expecting to return in tlie fall and find a crop. Yet in the 
early settlement of this country the soil was turned over, 
the corn was dropped along the edge of the furrow to be 
covered up by the next, or was chopped in with an ax or a 
spade and a crop of sod corn was gathered in the fall. A 
few trees were planted in the virgin soil and with very little 
care crops of luscious fruit was the result. But this is all 
past. We must now get our bread and also our fruit by the 
sweat of our brow, with intelligent labor and care. I will 
bring my article to a close by paying a tribute to those old 
orchards planted by the early pioneers in this country. 
How much the material development of this country is due 
to themy How many of the settlers here from 1865 to 1870 
were induced to stop and locate by their luscious fruit and 
fine healthy appearance no one can tell. The Hale orchard 
standing as it did on the public road, trees uniform, healthy 
and full of fruit, who can limit its influence on the merits of 
immigrants. Who can say how many were induced to locate 
by it, and others like it. But these old orchards have pass- 
ed away, and likewise their owners. A chance tree now and 
then remains. Of the very old settlers who planted them, 
there is here and there to be found a gray-haired man or 
woman. Lot us venerate both the tree and the planter. 

Henry Speer. 



173 OLD SKTTLEUS' HISTORY 



SECOND LIEUTENANT VVEDDLE. 



One of Our Most Respected Citizens. He Writes an 
Interesting Autobiography. 



Early Times in Bates and Cass. Custom and Business of 

Early Settlers. How They got Along Without 

Money. The Only Enemy He 

Fears Now. 



The author of this sketch was born at Blue Springs, in 
Jackson county, Mo., March ,^lst. 1H31. When twelve 
months old my parents moved to Cass county and located 
four miles east of Harrisonville on Camp Branch. It was 
here that I grew to the years of reccoUection. The schools 
of that age were very poor. There were no free schools in 
those days. The neighbors got together in a radius of three 
or four miles and set the day to build a school house. They 
met in a black oak grove near the house of one Hiram Gra- 
ham, and there built a log cabin, and covered it with four 
foot boards and weighed them down with poles to keep the 
wind from blowing them off. They chopped the door out 
with an ax, and it never had any siiutter. School books 
were a rarety in those days. Small primer^-. of 15 or '20 
pages were used. My mother made the book I started to 
school with. It was- simply a'bit of brown paste board witii 
letters composing the alphabet, cut from old books or news- 
papers, pasted thereon. In about three weeks I mastered 
my study and had to quit school for the want of a higher 
grade of books. I think the school was composed, of lifteon 
scholars. The teacher's name was Mc Cord. 

In those days all able bodied men were enrolled in militia 



OF HATES COUNTY. 1 7-1: 

companies and had to drill, or muster, so many times a year. 

My father would take uie with iiim to town and would buy 
me a half section of ginger bread, and set me down by the 
old cake woman by the corner of Wilson & Brook's store. 
If there are any old timers around Harrisonville I venture 
t^ say they remamber the old ginger bread woman (Mrs. 
Burney). At this time I guess Harrisonville had three doz- 
en inhabitants and twelve or fifteen log houses, one dry 
goods store, one hotel, and a saloon. The saloon did the 
largest business. 

In 1842 my father sold his claim and the little improve- 
ments for $200. Tiiere was no money in the trade. The pay 
was oxen, cows, sheep, etc. In the spring of 1843 we loaded 
our wagon and started for Bates County. We crossed Grand 
river at Ingel's Ford. Ingel lived there at that time, but 
there was no bridge or mill there then, after leaving there we 
saw no more houses. We crossed Deer Creek not far from 
old Cole town. From there we steered our course as near as 
possible to a point three and one-half miles southwest of 
Butler. The prairies had been burnt smooth. There was 
not a human or tame animal to be seen during that day, but 
deer, wolves and prairie chickens were numerous. We ar- 
rived at our destination, went to work, cleared off a building 
spot, and built a house and called it home. We found tlie 
settlements farther apart here than they w^ere in Cass. Peo- 
ple in those days lived mostly on their own resources. They 
would clear up small patches of land in the brash or timber 
for garden truck, and a small patch of corn. Occasionally 
one would venture out and fence in ten or twenty acres of 
prairie. » The business of the men was mostly hunting and 
fishing; of the women spinning and weaving. There was 
nothing to stimulate a man to press forward to accumulate 
pi'operty, for it was worth but little. Barter was the custom 
of the country. The groceries and dry goods they got were 
mostly paid for in furs, and deer hides, and the hams of 
deer were salted and dried, they sold at from 50c. to 75c. per 
pair. Occasionally two or three neighbors spliced together 
and loaded up a wagon with vegetables, and attended the 
Indian payment by the Government. You had to get per- 
mission from the agent to trade with the Indians. The peo- 
ple would get a few dollars in this way. From 1837 to 1847 



176 OLD SETTI-EKS HISTORY 

money was not considered in a dicker, in fact tliere was 
hardly anything that had a money price on it. I remember 
seeing my father buy 14 lbs. of coffee for one dollar at Har- 
mony, Missouri. I reaiember seeing calves sell for one dol- 
lar in the fall of the year, and cows at $5.00 When the 
Mexican War commenced Government agents ran all over 
this country, bought up all the oxen they could get to freight 
across the country for the army. This stimulated the peo- 
ple to try and do something. On tlie heels ot this gold was 
discovered in California. In this excitement I lit out for the 
land of gold in 1850. 

I was nineteen years old when I started. We had many 
trials and hardships before we got througli. We were four 
months on the road. I worked two years in the mines, but 
failed to make a Klondyke strike. After many ups and 
downs I returned to Missouri witli a little money. I bought 
land and commenced making a farm. I spent wluit little 
money I had for the land, and improving it, and in stock. 
Right at this point the Civil War broke out; everything was 
excitement. Judging the people from their talk and actions 
you would have supposed they would be of one mind. I en- 
listed early in tlie spring of 1861 in what was called Cum- 
ming's liatalion, Missouri State Guard of tliree companies 
for six months. This organization was intended to cruise 
along the Kansas line to keep down trouble. Two of these 
companies were from Bates, and one from Henry. Every 
tiling^ moved along smoothly till late in the fall, when Gener- 
al Lane from Kansas swooped down on us with two thous- 
and men, and scattered us to the four winds (nobody was 
killed). I considered Gen. Lamb had discharged n^e, as also 
many others, so got on my horse and lit out for Texas. 
While on the road I came to the conclusion that I would have 
nothing more to do with the w^ar. When I reached Texas 
the Confederate Congress had passed the Conscript law, put- 
ting every man in the service from 18 to 45 years of age. 
They didn't let me rest long before they got after me and I 
dodged and hid there for four or live months, and I became 
convinced I coald not stay there; so I retraced my steps (as 
did many others) and came back to the southern part of Mis- 
souri. Here I met up with some of the old neighbors from 
Bates. They gave a gloomy account of affairs up there. 



OF HATKS ('.)l NTY. 177 

Here I saw there was no way for me to keep out of the 
trouble, so I took the side of my choice and enlisted in the 
Confederate army. I was made the fiftii sergeant, it was 
my duty to draw the rations for the company and issue them 
to the men. In about twelve months our Captain was pro- 
moted to Major, tiie line of officers went up by promotion, 
wiiich left a vacancy of one Second Lieutenant, and I was 
elected to till the vacancy. I had good health all the time of 
the war, and encountered considerable hardship; I was in 
tile battle of Prairie Grove, and the attack on Helena by 
Gen. Holmes; also at Pleasant Hill against Banks; and the 
battle of Jenkin's Ferry on Solian river, against Steel. The 
trans-Mississippi was surrendered by Generals Price and 
Buckner. Tlie most of our army was at Shreveport, Louis- 
iana. ^ I got my parole and went to Texas, and staid tliere 
till the spring of 1866, and then came to Missouri. I found 
everything gone, and burnt up. Where the iiouses and 
fences once stood had grown up in big weeds; everytliing 
had a mournful appearance to me. I had one little mule 
that I iiad brought from Texas, that and my land was every- 
tliing I had on earth, and live years' back taxes on the land. 
1 went to work by the montii and paid up my taxes. My 
kind liad to keep themselves straight, I talked very little, 
and strictly attended to my own business, and never got in- 
to any trouble, not even insulted. I rebuilt the old farm, 
and am on it yet, living under my own vine and fig tree. 

■X- -X- -X- 

Yours Respectfully, 

S. H. Weddle. 



178 OLD SETTI.KHs" HISTORY 



CAPnVVIN JOHN A. DEVINNY. 



Interviewed, and Talks of Early Times in Bates. A United 
and Harmonious People. Tlie Captain not Dis- 
posed to Discuss Unpleasant Things 
out His Memory Good. 



Capt. Devinny was born in Starke c )unty, Oliij, anil was 
educated in the common schoals. In early life he learned 
the carpenter's trade and has followed that business until 
recent years. He left Ohio in 1856, went to Chicago, on his 
way to Mi.ssoari, and while there he heard Stephen A. Doug- 
lass on the Kansas — Nebraska bill and heard the people de- 
ride and hoot him. General Cass spoke on the same occa- 
sion. Tills w\as while the Kansas war was on. and lie re- 
mained there until the election was over, and started the 
next day to Mis.souri. In 1S62 he was appointed sheriff by 
Gov. Gamble, and served until succeeded by the election of 
Page. He was elected treasurer in 1804 at Johnstown. At 
that time county officers were more honorary than lucrative. 
In 1865 he was elected to the legislature to fill a vacancy 
caused by the resignation of Myers, and served througli one 
session at Jefferson City. He has served the people of Mt. 
Pleasant two terms as collector, two as clerk and assessor, 
and in various other capacities efficiently and honestly. 

'•I came to Bates in the fall of 1857, from Clinton, Henry 
county, and have resided here continousiy ever since, except 
a short time while in the service during our unfortunate war. 
At that time there were not to exceed 500 inhabitants in But- 
ler. There were only a few stores and a blacksmith shop or 
two; and a little church building known as the Union church, 
situate on block 5, Montgomery's 1st addition and the build- 
ing was occupied as a school house. The congregation 



OF BATKS COUNTV, 1 T9 

which worshipped therein tiually lost title to the lot by rea- 
son of haviuii- no church organization, and the title fell back 
to Montgomery. The spot of ground is now owned by Dr. 
J. M. Christy. The first circuit court was held in this little 
structure the fall I came here, by Judge ■Hicks. This was 
before all the records had been moved up from Papinville, 
the old county seat; and I remember on one occasion while 
court was in session the old stove pipe fell down on his Hon- 
or, aad so begrimed and besutted him that he had to adjourn 
court until he could clean himself up. Peter B. Stratton 
was circuit clerk, and Mr. Edgar was sheriff. I remember 
the lawyers at this term as Starnes, Hollingsworth, Barrows 
of Papinville and others from adjoining counties. The con- 
tract for the old brick court house was let in the fall of 1857 
and it was finished in 1858, after which court was held in it 
until burned in the fall of 1861. At that time General Price 
had his headquarters at Osceola and efforts were made to 
have a detachment stationed here. The Federal forces in 
Kansas heard of this and sent a detachment over here and 
burned the court liouse and several buildings on the west 
side, and perhaps others. Prior to tiiis, early in the war, 
Robert L. Duncan, county clerk, had taken the records of 
his offisa t:j Clint Jii, and afbor Gen. Lane, the "Grim Chief- 
tain of Kansas," had burned Osceola and was on his way 
back to Kansas he passed through Butler and took the re- 
maining records to Leavenworth. All records were preserv- 
ed and returned after the war with the loss of the marriage 
records only. After the famous "Order Number 11" by 
Gen. Ewing had practically depopulated Bates and other 
border counties, marauding parties passing through here 
burned what was left of Butler in 1863. The county was fill- 
ing up rapidly when I came here. The Kansas trouble had 
not subsided in '57 but the people were peaceable and quiet. 
They lived much like all people do in a new and sparsely 
settled country. There was little crime prior to the war 
period; and much of the early history of the county prior 
to and during the war has never been written and never will 
be. 

A few years more and those who lived here in 1857 when 
I came will live here no more. It is well that the bitterness 
and animosities of thirty years ago are gone before some of 



ISO OLD SETTLERS HISTORY 

US who passi'd throu.u'li tiiose thrillhi.u" times. Moaiorios ex- 
ist but resentments tire dead. 

Men iiave chan.ged their pohtical beliefs, and party ties 
liave been broken in peace. And wliatever may divide us 
"old settlers" now are such questions as divide tiie men of a 
younger generation. We are a united and harmonious jjeo- 
ple and live in one of the favored sections of tlie country. 

Tliere should be a roll call at each succeeding Old Settlers' 
reunion and some fitting memorial service adopted in mem- 
ory of tliose, if any, who have passed be.yond the river of 
death during the previous year." 



LIEUTENANT JOHN ATKISON. 



Details Some Interesting Historical Facts. 



In Marcli iSijii, John Atkison, the author of this skdch, 
came to Bates County and settled at the townof Pltnisant Gap. 
He had come from a Free State, Ohio, and although a citizen 
of Cooper county, Mo. since 1^44, he was regarded Ijy the 
Pro-Slavery men of this section with suspicion, as all men 
were who were known to have come from a Free State. 
The war spirit was getting pretty high at that time, aiid the 
Southern sentiment largely predominated among the people 
of this section. 

There was a drunken blacksmith by tlio name of Watson 
living at Pleasant Gap. Watson notified Atkison to leave 
there, and not complying he shot at him twice, afterwards 
claiming he did it to scare him. He left then and wtnit to 
Sedalia and found Federal troops there. He recruited a pla- 
toon of thirty men and was elected 1st Lieutenant. He tlien 
went on and recruited a full company. Col. John F. Philips 
was raising a regiment there, Atkison's company joined his 





JOHN ATKISON. 

John Atkison was born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, November 
12, 1815. He lived there until grown, on a tarm. and attended school only 
six months, traveling three miles over a high mountain to and from. His 
father died when he was twenty years old. His mother then moved to 
Ohio with a family of seven children and settled in Mercer county. He 
married Miss Hannah Catterlin June 18, 1840. While living there he was 
elected and commissioned a Justice of the Peace. After that he was elected 
captain of a militia company under the existing laws of Ohio, and was 
comnii-'^ioned by the Govenor. Two children were born there. They 
then moved to Missouri in a two-horse wagon in 1S44, and settled near 
Otter\ ille in Cooper county, nine children being born to them while living 
there. They moved to Bates county .March 28, 1S60. settling in Pleasant 
Gap. Two children were born there, making in all 13 children. The fact 
of coming from a free state to Missouri he was looked on and called a 
black Republican and Abolitionist. 

He enlisted in Co. "H." 7th Calvary. M. S. M. in 1862, and served 
about one year in Co. "H." as first Lieutenant. On account of disability, 
he was compelled to resign. Soon afterward he was appointed captain of 
a company of home guards for Bates county by Gov. Fletcher, with head- 
quarters at Pleasant Gap. He was elected sheriff in the fall of 1864, and 
shortly afterward the legislature passed a bill disfranchising all rebels and 
rebel sympathisers, and declaring all the county offices vacant. Then the 
Governor appointed him to fill out his unexpired term. In 1866 he was 
elected again, and in all served the people as sheriff four years. He was 
also ex-officio collector of taxes. Prior to his election as sheriff the first 
time he was a Judge of the County Court. 



OF HATI.S COUNTY. 181 

regiment and was designated Compan,y H. In 1h62 Company 
H was oidoi-ed to Lexington. Mo. On the 15th of August. 
ls()i' Company H. with othei- troops was ordered to Lone 
.Tack. Jackson county, in command of Major Poster of the 
7tli Regiment. Company H was the only company of the 7th 
Regiment tliat was engaged in the Lone Jack tight, one of 
the hardest fought l>attles of the war considering the num- 
b 'V engaged in it. While on that trip Atkison was thrown 
from his liorse and seriously injured, on account of which lie 
had to resign his c )mmission. He returned and found his 
family living in Clinton, Henry county. Mo. He then moved 
t) Germantovvn in Henry county. Shortly after that Gener- 
al Ewing issued his famous order known as "No 11"; ordor 
ing all the inhabitants out ot Bates County. Every famiK 
in the county left, excepting Jefferson L. Porter who lived 
near Johnstown. It is said he and his family went over in 
Heni-y county and stayed all night and returned the next 
day to his home, and never left there again. Soon after re- 
turning home Lieutenant Atkison recruited a company of 
nialitia, known as Home Guards. He was elected Captain 
and served it that capacity the rest of the war. 

In the meatime Bates County had lost its organization. 
Tile people petitioned tiie Governor to appoint judges that 
they might reorganize the county. He appointed Jacob D. 
Wi-igi.t, who then temporarily resided in Dresden, Mo., and 
John Atkison and Jefferson L. Porter as judges. The judges 
met and organized, tliey appointed John D. Myers clerk. 
There was no one living in the county at that time except 
Jetferson Porter. ']"'he court then designated Johnstown as 
liic 1 lace where court might be held and legal busine.ss trans- 
actcMJ. They held two or three courts in Johnstown before 
any one moved i)ack to Bates County. Time for election 
c line on, notice was given temporary citizens living nearby 
that an election would be held in Johnstown to elect county 
olticers. John B. Newberry had been elected sheriff of Bates 
County in 1»(J1\ and was serving at that time, but temporari- 
ly out e)f the count}'. 

The election held at Johnstown was in August 1864. At 
that election John Atkison was elected sheriff, and resigned 
as county judge, to accept that office. C. I. Robords, John 
Griggs and Mr. Petemyers were elected county judg^ for 



182 OI.I) SKITI-KUS* IIISTOUY 

the eihsuiu.u' tcrui of two years. Jc^hn D. Myers was elected 
circuit clerk, and he was also ex-officio county clerk and re- 
corder. Capt. H. C. Donnohue was elected Treasurer. At 
that time we had no county prosecutor nor probate judge. 
Oa the expiration of his term Sheriff Atkison was re-elect- 
ed in 18G6. and thus served two full terms. This was during 
the unsettled times succeeding the war, and by the close of 
his last term the county had been full}- re-populated and 
the civil authorities had restored oj'der. Mr. Atkison has 
resided in Butler with his family ever since, and is now in 
his 85th year. 

An incident in his life while sheriff was the olfer of ^10, (»()() 
from soQie Texas cattle men who had 1(),00(> head of cattle 
in Vernon and Barton counties, to let these cattle go through 
the county of Bates to the railroad at Holden for shipment 
east. There was at that time a statute against driving 
Southei'n cattle througii this state, on account of Texas fi;- 
ver. Tills munificent offer was rejected and the cattle had 
to be driven out of the state anJ across the Mississippi at 
Memphis. 

Another incident occurred in April 1865, dui'ing his first 
term as sheriff", and while he still resided at. Germantown, 
Henry county Only a few men lived in tins county at that 
time. It had been the practice of certain marauding parties 
to traverse this county, .stealing horses and doing otlier dev- 
ilment. Judge J. L. Porter reported a gang in the vicinity 
of Johnstown which had tried to t ike the Judge's horse, and 
did shoot and kill his horse while he was trying to get away. 
Upon the report of this and other acts of lawlessness upon 
the part of tliese traveling marauders. Sheriff Atkison sum- 
moned a posse comitatis and pursued them north to Grand 
river. Among the posse were J. L. Porter, A. E. Page, 
John Sis.-5on, George and Wm. Warner, and Valincount and 
Lafayette Griggs, and some others. On their march they 
stopped at tiie home of Mr. Page who had just returned to 
the county, where a laugiiable incident occurred. Here they 
got track of the maraudesrs afresh, and pushing on they sud- 
denly came upon nine of the party who were afoot, the ones 
on horseback having gone further up the river where they 
could cross. The light opened at once by the opposing 
forces. At the first fire Lafayette Griggs fell dead. It i)e- 



< ) K K A r E.S t ' C If U N r Y . \S 8 

came a ruiiiiiug lig'ht tliereafter mid both parties got across 
the river, and the maj'auders made a stand in a small lake. 
Here the battle raged fast and furious. The captain who 
sliot Griggs, was shot by Griggs at the same moment, the 
ball hitting liim in the right hand and shattering his arm to 
the shoulder. It was supposed that eight men went into the 
lake and so far as he saw or knew, only two men ever got 
out. He said he rode across the lake and the water was 
very crimson with human blood, but he only saw two dead 
bodies in the water. The two that got out escaped and the 
captain who had been shot was afterward killed by some of 
the posse. This battle occurred on April 14, and after the 
ijattle the dead body of Griggs was tied on a horse and it 
was taken back to Germantown for burial. The horse of 
Siieritt" Atkison was shot in the nose and it bled so that it 
fell down. They made arrangements to put two men on one 
horse, supposing this horse was dead; but the blood stopped 
and the horse got ujd and overtook the party about two miles 
out and fully recovered. None of the posse except Griggs 
were hurt. The dead marauders were left where they died, 
some fourteen miles from the closest settlement at that time. 

A report of this fight was made by Sheriff Atkison to a 
Sedalia paper published by Thos. Single and printed by him. 
Several of the parties in the Sheriff's i30sse are still living 
and would doubtless corroborate this last battle of the war 
within our borders. 

This was the last of the traveling marauders. The war 
was just over, and soon peace and quiet prevailed. 



1S4 OLD sETTr,Ei:s history 



R. G. HART WELL. 



All Interesting Account of Men and Events ia Our 
Eiu'lv Historv. 



Old Settlers will Enjoy this Letter. Mr. Hartwell is :i Well 
Informed Man and Wiites Well. 



The writer landed in Butler. April !l!4. 1S6(). in company 
with C'apt E. P. Henry. Juda-e Weaver, Charley Morris and 
Georo-e Hartley. Tiie Sheiift" John Atkison and J. D. Mj-ers 
who was lilliny: the offices of county clerk, circuit clerk and 
i-ecorder. were then building- each of tinmi offices on tlie pul - 
lie square, having just moved the records from Pleasant Gap 
to Butler. Tliere was supposed to be a daily stage run each 
way from Pleasant Hill to Ft. Scott and Ft. Scott to Pleas- 
ant Hill, Butler being the half-way station. A. H. Lamt) 
was the Butler stage agent. At that time there were prol)- 
ably not to exceed one thousand people in the county, and 
not a dwelling house in Butler; but there was one or two in 
proces.s of ei-ection. The bushwhackers and Kansas jay- 
hawkers had left a few old barns built of native lumbei-, and 
a small ]>ai't of two or three buildings, formerly used L'oi" 
dwellings that were not worth the trouble of setting on tii-c. 

The attorneys here at that time were Wm. Page. David 
McGaughey, C. C. Bissett. C. F. Ba>:ley. Tom Stearns, and 
Horton & C'hristian. Stearns died hsGG, Horton died in LSol), 
and ('hristian married Hortons's widow and moved to Illi- 
nois a few years later. 

J. W. CuUar, Dave Forbes and Benjamine White ha 1 
stores on a very small scale with ai)out a shirt tail full of 
goods and a barrel of whiskey; but I am not certain that all 
of them had the barrel of whislcev. C )cr,in and S!r.ino ah )ul 



OF I'.ATKS CorN'lY. 1.S5 

tliiit liuu' opened up u saloon, and several old bums daily 
held a ghost dance on the nortli side of the square, having 
their dead line; and woe to the poor victim they could induce 
to cross that line. He was held till the bottle was replenish- 
ed. 

That summer J. W. Hannah and Smith C. Minturn put 
up a two story building on the corner that the Bennett & 
Wheeler Mercantile Co. now occupy, and put in a good stock, 
consisting principally of hardware. A two story building- 
was also built west of tiie corner where the Palace hotel 
now stands, and occupied as a dry goods store by M. S. 
Cowles & Co. , 

Joim A. Dlvian}'^, Judge Steele and J. G. McKibben were 
the building contractors in the spring and summer of 1866, 
and later J. B. Tinklepaugh and D. B. Heath came. In the 
summer of \)ii the Bates County Record was started by D. K. 
Abeel, was also running a paper at Harrisonville; but in the 
summer of '67 O. D. Austin bought the paper and is suppos- 
ed to be still holding the fort for the Republican party — in 
tile newspaper line. 

E. P. Henry & R. G. Hartwell opened the first exclusive 
real estate office in tlie county in the summer of '66. Others 
were connecting real estate with law practice; but soon had 
all the law practice they could attend to, and dropped out of 
the real estate business. 

In '67 the jail was built, witii dwelling attached, which was 
occupied by Siierilf Atkison and family, who was not only 
sheriff but was ex-officio county collector, and having no 
better jDlace to keep the county money he often had from ten 
to twenty thousand dollars in the house, which he generally' 
kept in a ballot box. One John Walt who was in the em- 
ploy of the Shei'iff took a fancy to tliat ballot box one night 
when it contained about $12,01)0 or $14,000, and in the ab- 
sence of Atkison. slipped it out and buried the money in the 
ground; and i-eturning to his work as innocent as a suckling 
dove; but he was finally spotted, and Lamb, who was then 
deputy sheriff, can tell all about how and where they found 
the money. 

The first sermon preached in Butler after the war was 
about the last of April '66 by one (Callaway, sent into Mis- 
souri by the Southern Illinois M. E. Conference as a mission- 



1S6 OM) sETTI.Kli.s" HISTORY 

ary, and haviiiu' consented to preach, next day beln,<4' Sun- 
day, we carried lumber in and improvised seats in tlie part- 
ly tinished office of SheriH: Atkison. The Sunday following 
Bro. Willard from Wisconsin Conference having coma to 
Butler during- the week filled the Sheriff's pulpit, and as he 
remained during the summer he organized what is now 
known as the Ohio Street M. E. Church. The next year the 
First Presbyterian Church was organized by Rev. S. W. 
Clark, with only three members, but it grew rapidly in mem- 
bers and they built the first church building in the town. 
Tliere was a building put up in '06 oy private subscription, 
near where tlie Pi'esbyterian church now stands, and used 
for school, Sunday School and public worsliip till the new 
church and school house were bjilt when it was given to the 
negroes for churcli and school purposes. 

Among the early physicians in Butler w^as Drs. Prizell, 
Boulware and Cornell. The Masonic Lodge was organized 
in October 1(S()7 with about twelve charter members, of which 
only three are now living in Butler. Dr. J. H. Frizell was 
t'.ie first Master of the lodge. He ha^ now gone from labor 
to the place wliere all good Masons go. 

Old Time, whose scythe is always going, has gathered in 
a large number of the early settlers of our beautiful city, 
while some have moved away, and today one can almost 
count on his fingers the residents of Butler that were here 
in April 1866. The harvest is still going on and in a few 
more years our reunion of the early settlers will be on the 
other side of the River. God grant that when life's curtain 
is lifted to us our reunion shall be one that never ends. 

R. G. Hart WELL 







f 




f, 






■fM. 




\ 




i mi 



JAMES DRYSDALE. 

The subject of this srvetch was born in Rush county, Indiana, in 1S43; 
was the third child of William and Elizabeth (Ernest) Drvsdale. The 
former was born in Montgomery county, Kentucky, in 1S15, and was of 
Scotch descent, and the latter was born in Severe county, Teniicssee, in 
1821, and was of German desent. They immigrated to Rush county, Ind., 
in 1835, became acquainted and were married in 1837. James was brought 
up on a farm, and in a mill which his father was engaged in at that time. 
Was educated principally at country and select, or subscription schools. 
Entered the army in 1862, serving in the 22nd Battery of Light Artillery. 
Was a non-commissioned officer as line surgeon. Was with 
Sherman on the Atlanta campaign, and with Thomas at Frank- 
lin and Nashville. Was dischaiged at the end of the war in 1865. Moved 
to Morgan county, Mo., in 1867. and to Bates county in 1868. Settled in 
Charlotte township on sec. 34, improved farm of 120 acres, taught school 
at No. 6, New Home township, during the fall and winters of '72, '73 and 
'74. In 1876 was elected clerk and assessor of the township, and also was 
appointed and took the census of the township for '76, which was the Cen- 
tennial year. Was twice again elected and filled the office of Clerk and 
Assessor of the township. In 1S90 he was elected County Clerk by the 
Union Labor party, and filled that offie for the term of four years. In 1895 
was appointed City Clerk for the city of Butler and filled that office until 
the next city election. In 1898 he was nominated for Ma\or on the 
Citizen's Ticket, but was defeated by a small majority. In 1898 he was 
nominated by the People's party for Presiding Judge of the County Court, 
and was defeated by Samuel West, Democrat, by a tew votes. Is at present 
time treasurer ot the Old Settler's organization and engaged in the real 
estate business. He has been a ruling elder in the C. P. church for many 
years. In 1874 was married to Elmira M. Elswick, daughter of Oliver Els- 
wick. She was born in Monroe county, Iowa, in 1852, and moved with 
her father's family to Bates county. Mo., in 1858, where she has since re- 
sided, except in time of the war. They have three children. Charles 
Harlen, Cora Myrtle and Mary Estella, who are all now grown. 



OF BATES COUNTY. 187 



THE BATI^LE AT FORT TOOTHMAN. 

This fort was situate on the N. W. quarter, Section 35, 
Township 40, Range 32, in Charlotte township. 

J. S. Pierce, an old settler, being interviewed said: 

"I came to Bates County in the spring of 1853, and have 
resided here ever since, except a short time during the late 
unhappy war between the States. Ft. Toothman was a reg- 
ular U. S. fort, and garrisoned by regular U. S. troops, col- 
ored; and must have been established there late in 1(S62. 
Wliat I know about the battle was gleaned from a soldier 
whom I met in Little Rock, Ark., .shortly after the battle, 
and who had participated in it. He and other Southern men 
were camped, or rendezvoused on the slougii island nearly 
directly south of the fort, and were taking care of themselve.s 
the best they could in the unsettled condition of the country. 

"The colored troojDS to the number of 150 orSOO, were for- 
aging upon the country for a living; and in order to punisli 
them these Southern men planned an attack. They sent out 
a few men to approach the fort and entice the colored troops 
out. The rest of the force was quietly disposed for action a 
short distance south on the low land of the Marais de Cygne 
river. One man had been placed in a cotton wood tree where 
he could see the colored troops, and at the same time signal 
a charge. This was not to be made until the colored troops 
were some distance from the fort, and near the river timber. 
'"The scheme worked. The colored troops came out in 
force and pursued the squad nearly to the timber, and at the 
proper time the man in the cottonwood tree gave the signal, 
and the Southern men, numbering some 15 to 25 men, charg- 
ed the colored troops, and the battle raged fast and furious 
until the few who escaped were inside Fort Toothman. 
Both sides were mounted, and the Southern men had the ad- 
vantage of fresh horses, and the colored troops liad to re- 
treat with fagged. horses and up over the bluffs towards the 
fort. Hence, they were cut down mercilessly, and only one 



l,ss OLD siorir.Kits iiisrouv 

or two sui'vivcd to g'ft inside the I'ort. The Soutiieni men, 
who had sustained no losses, soon evacuated the island, and 
went soutli. The colored ti'ooi^s remaining were soon after- 
ward ordered to some other post." 

James Drysdale, being interviewed on the same matter, 
said: 

"I came to this county in 1868, and settled on a farm one 
mile west of Ft. Toothman. I also own the 40 adjoining the 
Toothman farm on the west. When I first settled tiiere the 
earthworks and s;)iu } of the tinioer used in the fort were 
still ther(i. The Toothman house was the center of the 
works, and the earth works surrounding took in about* an 
acre of ground. This farm has since been known as the 
Cogili farm. A short distance north of the fort there was 
fresii dirt tiirown up and everything indicated a burial 
ground. Here, I was informed, was where the men killed 
in the battle were buried. Kectmtly I had a talk witli a 
woman by the name of Wheeler. whos(^ maiden name was 
Langferd, and who resided on the Olivtn' ElUvvick place, ad- 
joining the Toothman place on the north, at the time of the 
battle, and she said she saw the battle and that there were 
twenty-one colored troops and one white man, command- 
ing, killed; that the colored men were bui'ied there, and 
the white man taken to Mound City. Kansas for interment. 
This battle was fought some time prior to General Ewing's 
Order No. 11, which was dated August IM, 1863, and from 
all the information at hand, it was probably on or about the 
1st of June.' 

This is supposed to have been the only Ijattle fought on 
Bates County soil in which regular U. S. troops were en- 
gaged. 




WILLIAH E. WALTON. 

William E. Walton was born in Cooper County, Mo., 
August 31, 1842, and has lived in Bates County, Mo., since 
1870. He was county clerk of Bates County during the years 
of 1875, 76, '77 and '78. He is president of the Missouri State 
Bank and also of The Walton Trust Company of Butler, Mo., 
and has been in the bankmg business for 30 years. 



OF BATES COUNTY. 1 89 



WILLIAM E. WALTON 

WRITES ENTERTAININGLY OF BATES COUNTY AND HER 
PEOPLE TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO. 

You ask me to write about Bates county as it appeared 
twenty-seven years ago. 

I came here in Jtily, i-'^jo, and began the making of a set 
of title abstract books. Butler was a smaM village, and Bates 
county one big prairie with timber along the streams. 

Where Rich Hill, Adrian, Hume, Foster, Merwin and Am- 
sterdam now stand was then wild prairie land. Our couit 
house was being built by John E. Tinklepaugh, a contractor, 
but he failed, and it was completed by his bondsmen. None 
of the streams were bridged, unless there was one bridge at 
Pappinville. After big rains we had three ways of crossing, 
viz.: wade, swim, or wait for low water. 

Times were good and everybody making money. Non-resi- 
dents owned the big prairies and paid taxes while our farmers 
and stock raisers grazed thousands of cattle on the land and 
grew rich on "free range." Immigrants with monev were 
coming from everywhere, but principally from the north, buy- 
ing the rich, low priced land, plowing up the sod, building 
houses and making farms. In fact, we were at the high tide 
of prosperity in 1870. 

The war lasted four years and had closed five years prior to 
this time. During its continuance it brought sorrow and 
death to a million homes, and reduced the South from a con- 
dition of affluence to that of poverty. On account of the war 
the government had paid out hundreds of millions of dollars, 
and this vast sum was in the hands of the people. True, the 
government had borrowed this money by selling to Europe 
interest-bearing bo^ids, but we had the money and they had 
the bonds and pay day was a long ways off. It was an era of 
speculation and money making. The mints were open to the 
free coinage of both gold and silver, but neither metal was in 



190 OLD settlers' history 

circulation. Gold was at a premium, and had been foi years. 
This v;as before the crime of 1873. Our money was all pa- 
per. We were getting rich and getting in del)t both. In 
1873 the Jay Cooke bank failed. This startled the country 
and was the beginning of a panic that covered the United 
States and ruined thousands that were in debt. Although 
money was plenty and business good, in 1870 interest rates 
ruled high. Money was active and in great demand, for ev- 
erybody speculated. From 15 to 18 per cent was the rate for 
short-time loans, and on five-)ear farm loans from 12 to 15 
per cent. I frequently borrowed money then, and was con- 
sidered fortunate when I could get it at 15 per cent. 

The first bank in Butler was owned by the " Dunbaugh 
Brothers." It failed in October, 1870, owing its depositors 
$70,000.00. Immediately after this failure, Mr. Cheeney, F. 
J. Tygard and P. A. Burgess came from Holden, Mo., and 
opened the Bates County I'>ank which is now the oldest and 
was for several years the only bank here. There are now 
eleven banks in Bates ct'Unty. 

Courts were held up stairs in the room now occupied by 
Sam Levy & Co. Church services were frequently held in 
the same room. Politically times were hot in 1870. Our 
congressman was S. S. Burdett, a lawyer living at Osceola. 
He was a republican, and had defeated for congress John F. 
Phillips, now federal judge at Kansas City, During the Bryan- 
McKinley campaign he visited Butler after an absence of 25 
years and spoke in our opera house. Our circuit judge was 
David McGaughey. The writer was clerk of election in 
Clinto*", Mo., in 1868, and counted the votes when he de- 
feated Judge Foster P. Wright. Both are now dead. John 
D. Myers was county clerk, circuit clerk a^-'d recorder of deeds. 
He was the father of Mrs. Judge Steele of Butler. Judge 
Myers was "southern raised," but was a "Union man." He 
had troubles during the war and sincerely believed he had 
been badly treated. He was positive and outspoken. Such 
men always have enemies. He was an honest man, always 
true to r friend. Our county judges were B. H. Thornton, 
who owned and lived on the Badglev farm two miles south- 



OF BATES COUNTY. I9I 

west of Butler, L. E. Hall of Koiuer township, and J. N. Crig- 
ler, who yet lives near Johnstown. Wesley T. Smith was 
sheriff and tax collector. Pie was a defaulter for $18,000.00, 
but $10,000.00 was paid by his bondsmen. H. C. Donnohue, 
who recently ran for congress on the populist ticket, was 
county treasurer. 

C. C. Bassett, A. M. Christian, C. F. Boxley, A. Henry, Wm. 
Page, P. H. Holcomb, Sam Riggs, L. D. Condee, T. J. Galla- 
way, C. H. Wilson, N. A. Wade, A. T. Holcomb, J. K. Hans- 
burgh, J. K. Br^igler and J. J. Bruinback were our lawyers. 
Bassett was a caddidate for circuit judge in 1S72, but was 
defeated by Foster P. Wright. Henry and Bassett were each 
candidates for congress several times, but neither secured the 
democratic nomination. 

Doctors Boulware, Pyle, Frizell, Carnal, Martin, Patten and 
Heath were the physicians. All are yet living except Frizell 
and Carnal. A. H. Lamb was postmaster and kept the office 
in a one-story frame that stood on the lot now covered by the 
west half of the Palace Hotel. 

The republicans held all the offices. They had passed a 
law in 1S65 that "Confederates" and "Southern Sympathi- 
zers"_'were disfranchised. This law was not repealed until 
1870. In that year the republican party of Missouri "split" 
on the question of enfranchiocment. B. Gratz Brown and 
Carl Schurz, both orriginal old line republicans, bolted the 
convention and became leaders in favor of restoring the bal- 
lot to all southerners. They were called "liberal republicans" 
to distinguish them from the "regular republican party" thct 
opposed enfranchisement. The democrats of Missouri made 
no nominations but voted the liberal ticket. The result was 
B. Gratz Brown was elected Governor and Carl Schurz elect- 
ed to the United States Senate. The republicans lost control 
in, Missouri and the ballot was restored to all Confederates 
and southern sympathizers. In Bates county the ticket 
elected was a combination of "liberal republicai.s" and demo- 
crats, viz: John B. Newberry, sheriff. F. V. Holloway, 
treasurer; John R. Walker, representative, S. H. Geisel, 



192 OLD settlers' history 

Circuit Clerk, Wm. Smith, County Clerk. All being demo- 
crats except Geisel and Smith. 

John R. Walker was then a young wealthy farmer living 8 
miles north east of Butler. He is now U S District attorney 
at Kansas City. 

O. D. Austin was then as now editor of the "Record." W. 
A. Feely had recently begun the publication of the "Demo- 
crat." The writer in Oct. 1870 assisted John R. Wa'ker, N. 
A. Wade and others in carrying the type and material of the 
Democrat up stairs in a frame building that stood where the 
Missouri State Bank now is, and from that room was pub- 
lished the "Bat.-s County Democrat." Feeiy died several 
years later and is buried in the old cemetery. There was 
much of bitterness in politics then. The republicans called 
the southerners "Rebels." The southerners called the repub- 
licans "Radicals." Neither side showing much liberality. 
We had not then learned this truth — that each man's pecu- 
liar views are the natural outgrowth of his environments — 
that education and surroundings in youth largely moulds and 
shapes opinions. 

Had Jeff Davis been born and raised in Maine he would 
doubtless have been an abolitionist, and John Brown if born 
and brought up in South Carolina would in all probability 
have been a secessionist. 

We had no railroads but our people were anxious to secure 
one. Under the law bonds could be voted by the tax-payers 
to aid in building railroads. In a year or two almost every 
county in Missouri had issued two or three hundred thousand 
dollars in bonds, sold them in the market for cash and after- 
wards paid tlie money to wild cat companies that had noth- 
ing to build railroads with outside of this money. The roads 
were half finished when ths money gave out. Litigation 
followed for years. The courts generally held the bonds legal. 

In September 1874 grasshoppers came. Being late in 
the season but little damage was done crops. They deposited 
their eggs in the ground and early in the following spring 
hatched out by the million and proceeded at once with vorac- 
ious appetites to devour everything green. The whole coun.try 



OV BATES COUNTY. 1 93 

was covered A'ith them. They were as thick on the ground 
as bees sometimes get on the outside of a hive. Our people 
were much discouraged for it looked as if nothing could be 
raised. But to our great joy one day late iu the spring the 
''Hoppers" took fligt and we have never seen them since. 

In looking back twenty-seven years I am impressed with 
the ciianges "wrought by time." Hundreds of intimate 
friends then my associates have passed to the beyond. }Iow- 
ever there are many Ohanges for the better. There is much 
less drunkenness now than then. Education is more general 
and the good influence of the church is making its impression 
more and more on the public mind as the years come and go. 
The asperities incident to the wa- have to a great extent dis- 
appeared. For thirty years now the Northern and Southern 
people have lived here together, their childien have inter- 
married and they are brothers in the lodge and the church. 
Our political beliefs that differed so widely when living apart 
have now after years of intiuiate social contact shaded into 
each other. 

May we ever live together harmoniously, having for our 
standard the highest type of American citizenship and thus 
add to the development and renown of the most intelligent 
and rapid growing nation known to man. 

WM. E. WALTON. 

I am asked to write something about events of "long ago" 
in addition to the foregoing communication written by me in 
1897. In looking over the article I find that three of the 
parties named therein have since died, viz., Judge J. N. 
Crigler, Dr. E. Pyle and Hon. John R. Walker. Taking a 
retrospective view of the 30 years I have lived in Butler many 
events crowd my mind. One is the crusade, now almost for- 
gotten, that twenty-five years ago stirred Butler from center 
to circumference. Whiskey drinking was greater then than 
now. Finally after much agitation the temperance question 
became the leading one and war was waged against the 
saloons and all drug stores that sold liquor. The ladies be- 
came active in the movement, which in 3874 culminated in 



194 ohTy settlers' history 

the crusade when ladies to the number of two or three hun- 
dred met dail}^ and held temperance services and prayer 
meetings and then marched in a body to the saloons and drug 
stores where they would sing and pray and by moral suasion 
try and persuade the proprietors to cease selling liquor. This 
was kept up for weeks and months. Finally, one by one, all 
the saloons and drug stores capitulated except Shaw & Hens- 
le)'. As I write now I have before me the "Women's Appeal" 
to Shaw & Hensley, dated April 21, 1874, and signed by 380 
ladies 'iving in and near Butler. But Shaw & Hensley defied 
public sentiment, the women and the law, and continued 
selling liquor. But the crusade was a thrilling event that 
will always be remembered by those who witnessed it, over a 
quarter of a century ago. 

About this tim3 we had the Rat law. For some cause that 
I have never seen explained, rats became so numerous and 
destructive in Missouri that our legislature passed a law 
requiring county courts to pay for the killing of rats. I was 
county clerk in 1875-6-7 and 8, and issued warrants on the 
county treasurer to pay for thousands of rat scalps. 

Those in business here then were M. S. Cowles, John W. 
Cullar, J. W. Hannah, Downing & Boggs, Pyle & Wilson, 
Dr. Martin, Philip and Sam Glassner. Geisal & Borchert, 
Thomas Brashear, Fred Evans, and Filor Sackett. All of 
them have since died or removed to other places. 

Only a few are living that were here prior to the civil war, 
viz: John Devinney, VanBuren Vandyke, Fred Cobb, James 
F. White, Charley Denny, John Atkison, Judge Frank Steele, 
Thomas Heath and Robert and James and W^illiam Hurt. I 
write these names from memory, but believe it to be correct. 

Respectfully, 

Wm. E. Walton. 



^ 



OF BATES COUNTY. 195 

INTERVIEW OF GEORGE SEARS. 
My parents came from Kentucky to Saline county, Missouri, 
in the year of 1827. ^ ^^^ born in Saline county, November 
6, 1831. My parents came to Bates county, (then called 
Vernon county) in the fell of 1838 and settled on the farm 
known as the Richey farm, one-half mile northeast of where 
Altona now is. At that time there was not more than five 
or six families in that settlement. A. M. Trueman and J, 
Coffraan are all the names I can now remember. My father 
broke the first prairie that was broke in that settlement in the 
spring of 1839. In the fall of 1838 he built a double log 
house of hewn logs and men came from Clinton, Harrison- 
ville and Warrensburg to help raise it. It was a two story 
and was a fine house in that day and time. We then had no 
school house nearer than Clinton, 25 miles away and no 
churches to attend on Sunday, therefore we usually spent 
Sunday at some of the many Indian camps on the creek. 
About the second year we were there the county began 
settling up slowly, and a school house was built about two 
and a half miles from our house. The first school was a three 
months term taught by a Mr. Knuckles. if\mong those that 
came about that time were William Swift, Hiram Edwards, 
Robert Davis, Joe and Oscar Reeder, Dave Newland and Mose 
Strong. At that time we went to Lexington to mill ; we would 
take ox teams and wagons and take our corn, deer skins and 
venison and trade them for groceries. We would some times 
take as much as 100 bushels of corn at a time, and when we 
got our meal home we would put it down in large boxes and 
put limestone rock in it to keep it from becoming old and 
musty before it was used. When I was about ten years old 
my father sent me to Johnstown (then called Hardscrabble), 
twelve miles distant, to get Dr. Thornton for a neighbor by 
the name of Johnson, and, as I had never seen a doctor, I 
wondered all che way down there what a doctor looked like. 
We lived in four counties — and did not move once — it was 
first VanBuren, then Cass, then Vernon and now Bates. At 
that time this county was full of deer and turkey and some 



196 OLD settlers' history 

elk — the elk came from the west and went down in Saline 
county to the salt pond ; my father and others would follow 
and kill them, I have eaten their meat, but never saw one 
alive. At that time powder and lead were so high and hard 
to get, and turkeys so plentiful, that we rarely ever siiot at a 
turkey and would not shoot at a deer, except at short range 
and when sure of a dead shot. In the winter of 1848-49 the 
whole face of the earth was covered with sleet about eightee" 
inches thick and as slick as glass. The whole country was then 
alive with deer and wolves, ai,d we would go out with sticks 
and clubs and find them, and the more they were scared the 
less they could run, and they were at our mercy. The first 
morning after the sleet fell I killed seven deer in the fore- 
noon ; my father finally made us stop killing deer, but we 
killed hundreds of wolves with sticks and clubs. I hunted 
deer for about thirty years atid I believe I have killed 1,000 
deer in sight of where Altona now is. We attended court at 
Harrisonville until the county was changed to Vernon, and 
then Pappinsville was the county seat. I do not remember 
much about the hanging of Nuttingham, but I remember I 
would have gone to see him hanged if it had not been that I 
had seen a man by the name of Horton hanged at Clinton for 
wife murder, and I did not want to see another. 

In 1849 ^"y i^'^ther owned 1,000 acres of land in and 
around where Altona now is. He had paid $1.25 per acre 
for it, and my brother, Frank, who had gone to California in 
1844, ^"^ W3-^ ^^ Suitor's Fort when gold was first discovered, 
wrote father that he had made as much as $1,000 in a day 
and for father not to fool with his land, but to get an outfit 
and come right on ; so father sold his whole tract to Colonel 
Wm. Crawford, for $1.61 per acre, and started with two four- 
mule teams and two ox teams and got as far as Fort Kearney, 
where he died of cholera. My mother, two sisters and myself 
came back to where Altona now is, and we lived in that 
vicinity until October, 1861. I then went to Hempstead 
county, Arkansas, and went in the army and staid all through 
the wnr. 




V. B. VAN DYKE 

was born in St. Clair Co., Alabama, April i, 1830; emigrated 
with his parents to Cherokee County, Alabama, in 1837, where he 
attended such schools as existed at that time — the school house 
was built of pine logs, with the openings between the logs for 
windows. He emigrated to Bates County in 1855 and came to 
Butler when the place was covered with prairie grass, where he 
has resided ever since. Together with R. L. Duncan, who 
was then county surveyor, he surveyed the town when the same 
was made the county seat in 1856, and surveyed most of the 
additions made to it since. He operated as deputy county 
surveyor under R. L. Duncan for four years; was appointed 
by the county court as asse^^sor of Bates County for the years 
1862, '63 and 64, and was elected county surveyor for 
1866, and also was elected assessor of Mt. Pleasant 
Township for two years, 18S9 and i8go. Worked in county 
clerk's office for W. E. Walton; also in recorder's ofifice for 
Capt. J. C. Martin during his term, and during his long 
residence in Bates county has followed various other pursuits. 
Was made a member of the Masonic fraternity in the first lodge 
that was established in Butler in 1858, and was also a charter 
member of Butler Lodge No. 254 when same was organized in 
1868, of which he is now a member. 



OF BATES COUNTY. I97 

On the 2nd day of March, 1862. I was married to Miss 
Precilla Scroggins. In r866 I came back to Henry county, 
about ten miles from Clinton ; in 1867 I bought the Shaw 
farm, on Peter creek, and moved to it, in Bates county. That 
fall the wolves would come and kill our pigs and geese and 
scratch at the door and tiy to get in. Flour was then worth 
$5.00 per 100 pounds, and we had to go to Warrensburg after 
it ; butter was 25 cents per pound ; eggs, 20 cents per dozen 
in summer ; hens, $4.00 per dozen , calicoes, 15 cents per yard ; 
thread, 10 cents per spool. In an early day this country was 
a perfect paradise, the prairie was one vast flower bed, most 
beautiful to behold ; the woods were full of wild bees and in 
the later part of summer we would cut bee trees and get honey 
for winter use, and as barrels and other vessels were very 
scarce we would cut large linn and hackberry tree^^, split the 
logs open and hew out huge troughs to store away our honey 
in. The people did not possess wealth, but they were healthy, 
happy and contented. At the Old Settlers' Reunion in Octo- 
ber, 1898, I was awarded the cane for the oldest settler in 
Bates countv. 



V. B. VANDYKE 



REVIEWS OLD TIMES AND TELLS ABOUT THE GRASSHOPPER 

SCOURGE. 

Joint resolution on the celebration of the Centennial in 
the various counties in the United States. 

Be it Resolved^ By the {■>enate and House of Representa- 
tives of the Unit-^d States of America in Congress assembled, 
that it be and is hereby recommended bv the Senate and 
House of Representatives to the people of the United States 
that they assemble in the several counties on th'e approaching 
Centennial Anniversary of our National Independence, and 
they cause to have delivered on such day an Historical Sketch 
of said county from its foundation ; and that a copy of such 
sketch be filed in the County Clerk's office of said county, and 
an additional copy be filed in the office of the Librarian of 
Congress, to the intent that a complete record may be ob- 



198 OLD settlers' history 

tained of the progress of our institutions during the first 
century of its existence. 

Approved March 13th, 1876. 

At a mass meeting of the citizens cf Bates county, held 
at the court house of Butler to make arrangements to cele- 
brate the Centennial 4th of July, 1876, in the county, and to 
further comply with the above resolution of Congress, the 
meeting appointed VanBuren Vandyke, A. Henry and J. A. 
Devinney to prepare an historical sketch of Bates county. 

As that part of said history that relates to the physical 
features, streams, timber, animals, inhabitants, government, 
lands, pioneers, first settlements, etc., has been related in other 
chapters of this book, we will only notice that part that re- 
lates to the banishment of the people of the county by the 
military order No. 11, by General Ewing, August 25 1863, 
and the visitation of the grasshoppers in 1866 and 1874. 

The condition of the people of Bates county, who to the 
date of the above named order, No. 11, remained in the 
county, is difficult to describe. They had been pillaged, with 
few exceptions, of all their live stock and wagons, and com- 
munications had been cut off so that many did not hear of 
the order of banishment until the time allotted was nearly 
out ; but so soon as they did get the information they pro- 
cured such wagons and teams as they could and loaded in 
their most necessary articles nnd began their march out of 
the country. Their furniture, houses, barns, gardens, orch- 
ards and fields were abandoned to certain destruction. Most 
of the men were in the army on one side or the other, and the 
move had to be conducted by women and boys. Most of 
them took refuge in Henry and St. Clair counties. Some 
famines would move out and send the wagon back for 
others. For days and nights the roads were strewn with this 
mass of war ridden people exerting themselves to get out of 
danger. They went into vacant houses, barns and stables, 
and were called Bates County Refugees. The winter of 1863 
was unusually cold and the suffering and privation was very 
great. When the fifteen days was out and the people all 



OF BATES COUNTY. 1 99 

gone the comity was overrun by marauders and parties from 
Kansas, who removed to Kansas what the people had left. 
The dry grass of the prairie was set on fire, which completed 
the desolation and reduced the country to a wilderness, in 
which condition it remained until the close of the war. 

During, the war parties of both armies passed over the 
country and many skirmishes took place between them and 
many incidents took place of a ver)- cruel and tragic charac- 
ter which, if related in detail, would be highly interesting 
and instructive, showing how some men will act during a 
state of wcr when the restraints of law and the influence of 
regular society is removed and would favorably impress on 
the mind the blessings of peace and good government. 

One little incident of an amusing kind happened during 
the journey of the people out of the county. A family with 
what little stock and effects ethy had left, arrived at the bridge 
over Grand river three miles from Clinton, in Henry county. 
This bridge was an old style wooden one covered like a house. 
The flock of sheep they had could not be coaxed or driven 
across it, although they tried repeatedly. At this juncture 
Capt. John Devinney, who was on his way to Clinton with a 
few men on horseback, came up and seeing the predicament, 
dismounted and seized a ram and tied a rope to its horns and 
pulled him by force across the bridge ; the rest of the flock 
seeing how readily their leader passed over followed without 
further trouble. This little circumstance gave the narrator a 
new idea about sheep. 

In the spring of 1866 many of the Bates county refugees 
began to return and improve their land which was all that 
was left. With few exceptions not a vestige of former homes 
were left standing, and the chimneys of their homes could be 
seen looming up above a forest of rank weeds. The rich land 
however could not be destroyed. This fact was noted by the 
soldiers that marched over it during the war, and numbers of 
them and emigrants from other states settled in the county 
and, money being plentiful, they bought the prairie at ^8.00 
and $10.00 per acre, and soon improved the country better 
than it was before the war. 



200 OLD settlors' HISTORY 

In November, 1864, a number of the refugees assembled 
at Johnstown and reorganized the county government by 
electing the necessary officers. C n the 4th of July they oc- 
cupied the village of Pleasant Gap and transacted the county 
business there. In April, 1866, they removed to Butler. A 
temporary court house and clerk's office was erected. At this 
time nothing but the brick chimneys could be seen standing 
above the high weeds ; the dry, rank weeds were ten or twelve 
feet high ; they had to be cut down to allow a wagon to pass 
through them. 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCUST. 

On the 2d day of October, 1866, the county was first 
visited by grasshoppers or Rocky Mountain locust. They ap- 
peared to come down from the sky like snowfiakes till the 
face of the earth was covered with them. They devoured 
all green vegetation, which was but little, as there had been 
but few people here in the spring to plant anything. They 
deposited their eggs that fall in the roads, mostly one inch 
under ground by borirg down. They seemed to select the 
bare ground, where there was no sod for this purpose, and the 
harder and drier the grourd the more numerous the deposits 
were. Each deposit contained from ten to thirty eggs min- 
gled with a glutinous substance which formed a sack or coat- 
ing enclosing the eggs from which they hatched out the next 
spring — continuously from about the first of April to the 
middle of May. When those first hatched began to shed off 
their shell, at which time they were about three-fourths 
grown, they shed the outer covering of legs, head, body and 
all. Just before .shedding the insect became mopish or stu- 
pid, would crawl upon some object heavier than itself, fasten 
its claws into it and remain there for ten or twelve hours until 
split open on the back, a ful' fledged grasshopper with wings. 
They began to hop and eat immediately after being hatched, 
and seemed by instinct to travel in swarms in the same direc- 
tion, eating everything green, except castor beans. As soon 
as they obtained their wings they commenced flying off in 
swarms up into the heavens from whence they came. 



OF BATKS COUNTY. 20I 

They made their appearance again in the county in the 
fall of 1874, but, as before, nearly all the products of the soil 
were matured and dry and no damage was done except to the 
fall wheat that had been sowed, but as the people had been 
apprised of their gradual approach across the state of Kansas 
for about six weeks before, there was not much wheat sowed 
in the county. In the spring of 1875 the young ones covered 
the face of the earth and devoured everything green. They 
went as they got wings as before in 1867, being nearly all 
gone about the 20th of June, 1875. '^^'^^ excretia of the 
grasshoppers seemed to have fertilized the ground so that 
everything planted after thai grew ujore luxunanllv man 
ever before, A great many expedients were resorted to war 
against the grasshoppers, but onh- one thing that was ever tried 
seemed to succeed — that was by cutting a ditch around the 
land and burning the hoppers with straw thrown upon them. 
In this manner one farmer saved all the vegetables he had 
planted on one acre, which not only supplied himself but he 
had some to s[)are to his neighbors. 



MASSACRE AT THE MIAMI FORD, MAY l8, 1862. 
On the ]st of April, 1862, one regiment of cavalry, com- 
manded by Col. Fitz Henry Warren, was stationed at Butler. 
Soon after the vSternburg Bros, established a store a:.d trad- 
ing house ; also bought and sold mules. The narrator of this 
sketch was employed by them to assist in the business. On 
the 17th of May, William Jennings sold a mule to the Stern- 
burgs and as he lived in Walnut township he had to ride the 
mule back home. The narrator went with'him in order to 
bring the mule back and remained with him all nio^ht. The 
next morning we mounted our horse and attempted to lead 
the mule, but no amount of forcing and coaxing could iriduce 
it to go. So Mr. Jennings said he would ride it to Butler, so 
wp started and crossed the river four miles from Mr. Jennings' 
house on the ferry boat. Then our route lay over the wide 
undulating prairie ; the weather was delightful and pleasant ; 
the prairies at that time of year were bedecked with a luxu- 
riant growth of grass and flowers, and perched on the big rosin 



202 OI.D SETTLERS' HISTORY 

weeds the prairie larks were singing as merrily as if no war 
was going on. Our sense of the beautiful was thus regaled, 
little thinking of the shocking and bloody scene we were to 
see in the next half hour. 

We traveled on in this way until we passed the planta- 
tion of Oliver Elswick, our route led us down into a small 
valley. When we got to the river at the bottom of the valley, 
we discovered on the brow of the hill about 200 yards ahead 
of us a troop of mounted soldiers. One of their number, bare 
headed and with pistol in his hand, left the main body and 
came in a gallop toward us, when within a few feet of us, de- 
manded if we had seen any men that morning over that way, 
pointing the way we had come. We replied that we had seen 
none but the man that set us over the river at that point. He 
made no reply, but wheeled around and rode back to his com- 
panions on the hill, who waited until we came up to them. 
I was recognized by Captain Balos, who was in command of 
the squad. Seeing the men all with their pistols in their 
hands, I asked Captain Balos what had happened. He replied 
that the rebels had killed some of his men at the ford of the 
creek just ahead of us. When we arrived at the ford there 
were probably 100 soldiers riding about through the woods 
with their revolvers in their hands and they looked very much 
excited. One dead soldier lay in the road on his face in a 
pool of blood. Another dead soldier lay in the bed of the 
A^agon that stood in the middle of the creek, and the so'diers 
were lifting another out of the water that had fallen into the 
creek. Upon the high bank a covered wagon stood lods:ed 
against a stump. The mules to this wagon were badly shot 
and tangled in the harness and were bleeding and trembling. 
It took some considerable time to get the wagons turned 
around and fresh mules with the harness adjusted and the 
slain soldiers in the wagons, Jennings and I were compelled 
to stay until they all got started. Half a mile from the fork 
we passed the home of G. W. Pierce, here we found the ser- 
geant who had been in charge of the party that were killed. 
He had several gunshot wounds about the face and neck ; he 



OF BATES COUNTY. 203 

was taken with the others to Butler, where h^ soon after re- 
covered. 

The names of the soldiers that were killed were : J, Bird, 
M. Meredith and A. Foust, all of Company A, First Iowa 
Cavalry. The dead soldiers were taken to Butler and neatly 
dressed in new uniforms and laid on the green grass in the 
hospital yard, and were then buried about one-half mile east 
of the square with military honors. On this occasion Gen, 
Warren delivered a pathetic address which caused the tears 
to run down the cheeks of the soldiers. After the bodies had 
lain there thirteen years they were taken up and interred in 
the National cemetery at Fort Scott, Kansas. 

The next day we had an interview with Mr. Bumgard- 
ner, the only man that escaped from the massacre unhurt. 
This is his story of the affair : " One company of General 
Warren's regiment, which had been stationed at Montavalla, 
Vernon county, were ordered to join the regiment at Butler, 
which they did about the 14th of May. After their arrival 
they had to get an additional supply of forage. The quarter- 
master received the information that there was a large pen of 
corn at Oliver Elswick's farm, .-six miles west of Butler. On 
the 17th day of May he sent a small detachment with two 
wagons to get the corn. The wagons were loaded and re- 
turned to Butler without being molested ; the next day. May 
i8th, two wagons, each drawn by four mules, with a soldier 
and one man in each wagon, the party numbering five men, 
of which I was one, conducted by a sergeant on horseback. 
We arrived at the ford on the Miami creek. The sergeant 
had gone ahead of the wagons about one hundred yards or 
more into the heavy timber. After one wagon had crossed 
and the second one was in the creek a deadly volley was fired 
from the thicket of buckeye brush a few feet away. The 
foremost driver was riddled with bullets but was able to 
dismount and started to run, but only got a few feet and fell 
dead. It was lucky for Bumgardner that he was in a covered 
wagon and was not seen by the bushwhackers. The mules 
at the discharge of the volley naturally swung aiound to the 
right and drew the wagon after them, so the rear end was 



204 OLD settlers' HISTORY 

toward the bushwhackers. Bumgardner took advantage of 
this circumstance, leaped out of the front end of the wagon 
and plunged into the thicket and made his escape unharmed. 
Ke made his way up the bank of the creek about ou'^-half 
mile, crossed it and proceeded to Butler safe. He says the 
two men in the hindmost wagon were riddled with bullets 
and killed. The sergeant on hearing the volley suspected 
the cause and rode back in a gallop. He found the road full 
of armed men and attempted to make his escape by firing his 
pistol among them, and plunging into the creek, but when he 
had reached the opposite bank, one of the bushwhackers who 
liad only discharged one barrel of his shotgun fired the other 
barrel at the sergeant, hitting liim in the arms and neck, but 
not wounding him mortally. 

I afterwards learned who did the shooting and the mo- 
tive therefor. In the spring of 1862 the County of Bates was 
in a state of terror and confusion truly frightful, and over- 
run by bands of marauders and bushwhackers who held the 
lives and property of the ])eople at their mercy. As has been 
before stated, about the first of x\pril, 1862, one regiment of 
cavalry, under Col. Fitz Henry Warren, arrived and were sta- 
tioned at Butler. On the arrival of this regiment the bush- 
whackers, who up to this time had undisputed possession of 
the county, retired to the dense thickets and brush on the 
different streams. Capt. Bill Trueman and his gang took up 
their abode on the island in the Marais des Cygnes river, 
about nine miles from Butler. The island is about three miles 
long and one mile wide. On the north side is the river and 
the south side is bordered by a deep muddy slough. The in- 
terior was covered with a dense growth of heavy timber and 
undergrowth of vines, trailers and the wild Indian plum. 
Those who had taken up their abode in this gloomy haunt 
were fed and harbored by the people of the surrounding neigh- 
borhood, which was thickly settled. It was the custom of 
the Federal authority, when a body of troops were stationed 
at a place, for them to forage on the farmers of the surround- 
ing country. They would go out and take corn and hay, and 
if the farmer from whom they took it could prove he was 




J. C. HAQEDORN. 

The subject of this sketch was born at Wedel, near Hamburg, province 
of Holstein, Germany, May 30. 1S52. P'ducated in the national schools 
at Hamburg. He was engaged in photography from his 13th year, and until 
his removal to America in i8;o. just prior to the Franco-Germ-in war. Soon 
after landing in this country lie joined a U. S. surveying corps, and served 
as photographer in the service for about one year and nine months, and 
traveled through the Southwest before the building of the Santa Fe railroad, 
and covered nine states and territories. Was naturalized at Emporia, Kan- 
sas, in 1871. He then returned to Germany, and was arrested on arrival at 
his old home as a deserter from the German army, and had he not been a 
U. S. citizen he would have landed in prison at Spandau, and would have 
been put to hard labor. He says that he still feels proud that he was and is 
still a United States citizen. The Consul of the U. S. told him that his 
room of 24x28 was the United States, and to make himself at home there, 
which he did. He remained in the old country two years, and returned to 
America in 1880. Worked at his profession in New York, and also in St. 
Louis; and established himself in business in Jefferson City in the latter 
part of 1880, and came to Butler in i88i,and established his art studio and 
gallery where it still remains. He is recognized as one of the leading 
artists in his line in the state, and has been honored by the State Photo- 
graph Association. He was Vice-President of the association for several 
years. He has twice served the people of this city as councilman from the 
First Ward, elected in 1892, and re-elected in 1894. 

He is a scholarly gentleman, and speaks and writes three languages — 
low Dutch, German and English. He is fond of out-door sports, likes fine 
dogs, a good gun, andquail. jack snipe and duck hunting, and no season is 
allowed to pass without his enjoyment of these sports in company with a 
few congenial companions. His art studio is one of the finest in the state. 



OF BATES COUNTY. 205 

loyal to the government they would give him a voucher with 
the promise to pay at some future time. If he was a Southern 
sympathizer they took it away without any compensation, 
and the farmer, his family and stock left to suffer or starve. 

This state of things did not suit Capt. Trueman and his 
men, nor their friends living in the vicinity of the island, and 
he managed to send informatiou to the quartermaster at But- 
ler that if he would not take hay and corn from the west side 
of the Miami creek he would not disturb the command at 
Butler ; but if they continued to take it anyhow, he would 
take measures to resent it. Thus matters stood when the 
Federals began to haul the corn from the pen at Oliver Els- 
wick's on the 17th of May. When this was reported to Capt. 
Trueman he immediately called a meeting at the house of one 
of the farmer's, with a view to ascertain what was the best 
course to pursue to prevent the Federals from taking their 
corn and hay. 

Trueman made a speech to the meeting, in which he said 
he and his company could waylay and kill the foraging par- 
ties, but he was afraid of the consequences to them ; that they 
might return and burn their houses and property, which ca- 
lamity he did not desire to bring upon them. They were, it 
seems, in great doubt as to what to do, when one of the farm- 
ers arose and said to Capt. Trueman, that if he and his men 
were ready to risk their lives in killing the Federals he was 
willing to loose his property, and so could answer for all of 
them. This speech removed the difficulty. Capt. Trueman 
and his men immediately made their arrangements, loaded 
their guns and pistols and marched before day and concealed 
themselves near the base of a large walnut tree in a dense 
thicket of buckeye bru.shes at the ford of the Miami creek, 
where he knew the foraging party would pass the next morn- 
ing, with the result above narrated. After the massacre the 
bushwhackers did not stay longer than to take the pistols off 
the bodies of the dead soldiers. 



206 OLD settlers' HISTORY 

ANN DOBBINS. 

The subject of this sketch was born fifty miles below 
Knoxville and sixty miles above Chattanooga in Meigs 
county, Tennessee, on the south side of the Tennessee river. 
May 24, 18 19. My parents were Thomas Carter and Jc-anna 
Hiden, they married young, neither being 20 years of age. 
They went to work and built themselves up a home in that 
new country and gained the love and respect of all who knew 
them. In 1833-34 the Missouri fever struck that country • 
my father, with the rest, resolved to leave his little home and 
go west. In 1837 he loaded his two wagons, put his wife 
and little children in, who were all girls, except one little 
baby boy, and started. Our wagons were draw" by two span 
of oxen and horses. When we left we started for Nashville, 
Tenn., from there to Barker's ferry, the crossing of the Ohio 
river ; thence to St. Louis, Mo,, thence to Boonville, and then 
to Pleasant Hill, Cass county. Mo. 

When we arrived there v;e found four or five of our former 
friends. And so my father took a claim there, and we had 
nothing to do but talk of the fine grass and crcps and the 
shooting of the deer. We thought we surely had reached 
the promised land. But the next July told the story when we 
all took to chilling. We wished we were back on the old hills 
of Tennessee ; but Sappington's pills soon did away with all 
sickness and we rejoiced that we had come. Our cattle and 
hogs ranging in the woods and on the prairies got fat enough 
without feeding to eat any time. We fared fine. 

In 1839, ^ ^^^" named Samuel Dobbins, came from Gal- 
latin, Tenn., and purchased a farm from my father. About 
this time mv father died after an illness of seven days. This 
left us all very lonely and sad. But my mother being a good 
manager, overseeing everything, all moved along nicely. In 
November, 1840, Mr. Dobbins and I were married. We im- 
proved our land and built us up a good home there ; but the 
great drawback to that country was it had never been surveyed 
or sectionized. My hopes were never so completely destroyed 
as when my husband, with other smart men, went and traced 
the sections up and found the section line to run through the 



OF BATES COUNTY. 207 

middle, and the section corner to be in the center of our land. 
So we concluded to sell it. Soon afterwards we were offered 
$500 in silver aiid we took it. It was worth $1,000 though. 
That was in September, 1842. We moved into the bottom 
and spent the winter. At that time we thought we would 
moved to Texas, but the spring of '43 was so bad we concluded 
to go to Bates county. Mo. My husband went horseback 
through the woods and prairies for the purpose of purchnsing 
us a home. Finding an old friend on the head of Nab's creek 
he told him his business. He said : " Well, Dobbins, I know 
where one is thrt will just suit you." And so he went with 
him to the very spot where Sam Dobbins, my son, and John 
Woody, my son-in-law, live now. And the minute he laid his 
eyes on it he said : " Here is my home and I expect to raise 
my family and live and die here." He purchased it before he 
returned. He gave $300 for it. There were two pretty good 
log houses on it, a little bit of orchard, some old boards, and 
fence, and seven acres of broke land. 

On the 13th of April we loaded our wagons, gathered up 
all our little Jambs, pigs, horses and cattle and started. When 
I saw it I thought, "Oh ! man, where were \o\n eyes? I'll 
never live here. You can if you want to." But I did all the 
sayie, and owned it until last September, which was Septem- 
ber, '99. I hold no interest in the old homestead now. But 
it seemed as if nature did its best to induce us to stay. The 
streams abounded m beautiful fish, and the hickory and wal- 
nut trees were just loaded down — sucti times as the girls and 
boys had in autumn, gathering nuts. They had their nuts 
instead of apples. There wasn't any fruic, except that wliich 
was wild ; but there was plenty of that. In the fall the trees 
would just be black with wild grapes; as to plums just bush- 
els and bushels, such as couldn't be found in any orchard at 
this day and time. And water melons in season. I have seen 
wit'h ni)- own eyes forty full grown water melons on one vine. 
And when we got out of honey, we just took an axe, weiit to 
the woods and with but little trouble secured enough to 'ast 
us a round year. We had vegetables in al~)nndance. It was 
nothing uncommon to have turnips and cabijage that wouldn't 
go in a wooden bucket. With such products it isn't any 
wonder we stayed. The first year we came Mr. Dobbins 
went to work and of all the making and hauling of rails, you 



208 OLD settlers' HLSTORY 

never saw the like; and that year he fenced in eiglity acres 
in pasture and one hnndred acres in a field. And so every- 
thing proclaimed prosperity. 

The worst drawback to onr new home was that we 
could not buy a yard of cloth between our house and Inde- 
pendence. Money was scarce and goods high. As far as that 
was concerned it didn't bother us any, for we had plenty of 
cotton, hemp, flax and wool, a loom, wheel, and other neces- 
sarries, and we well understood the art of converting it into 
cloth, and, therefore, our family fared well ; but I couldn't 
say as well for neighbors who were not so well prepared. 
Our neighbors were Messrs. Cooper, Snow, Linch, Brumfield, 
Hawkins, Courtney, Guns, Fishers and Adams by the half 
dozen families. 

Now, I suppose you think we didn't have any religion 
those times, but we did. We had no such idea as living in 
heathendom, without any church houses. Our husbands 
went down into the timber, cut out every old black oak they 
could find, and soon erected a building twenty-two feet long, 
at what is now called the old Conway place. I wish you 
could have seen them ; some hewing, some chopping, others 
making mortar, some one thing, some another, all hard at 
work. They cut a log out on one side and fixed it so it 
would slip in and out for a window, split "lin" logs, bored 
holes and put legs in them, and we all had seats. I have 
seen people confess their sins, change their way of living and 
show deeper love for their master there than I ever saw any 
where else. 

But alas! Ten years to a day after we had been there 
my husband died. I was left a widow with six little children, 
John, Will, Sarah, Jane and little Sammie. We lived there 
happy enough until the war came up, but I am not going to 
enter into any of the details of that. My children were all 
about grown by this time and we moved out of Bates county 
and stayed five years. Then we returned, built up our home 
anew, and if you will look around you can find things to this 
day to show what Ann Dobbins did with her poor old hands. 
But praise God! He always blesses us, and I am living hap- 
py enough, two and a half miles east of Mound City, Kansas. 
Now, I expect you folks will laugh at the way us back 
woods folks used to live, but we enjoyed life as much or more 
than people do to-day. 

Ann Dobbins. 
By her grand-daughter, Rrna Nrel. 



JNO, D. MOORE, Rich Hill, Mo. 

Born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, February 21st, 1855. 
Came to Missouri in 1858, went to Illinois in 1863 and lived 
there until 1870 when his family located in Vernon County. 
Came to Bates County in April, 1877, and took charge of the Rich 
Hill School (old Rich Hill). Was the Rich Hill correspondent 
of the Bates^County Record in 1877, at which time the coal 
fields were beginning to attract the attention of capital andj^the 
papers were using their best efforts to attract the attention of 
railroad people to the advantages of a railroad through Bates 
County. 

Farmed in summer and taught school in winter until twenty- 
five years old. Was principal of the East side school at Rich 
Hill in 1882-3 and soon after the close of that school year, 
engaged in the real estate and insurance business at Rich Hill 
and is still engaged in that business. Vice-President of the 
Farmers and Manufacturers' Bank and Secretary of the Rich 
Hill Fair. 



OF BATES COUNTY, 209 

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGK. 

Newberry and Wix Frontispiece 

Frank E. Kellogg , 14 

L. R. Pnrkey 25 

Lewis W. Moore 31 

J. C. Clark 43 

David A. DeArniond 51 

Geo. P. Huckeby S3 

L. B. Allison 63 

N. A. Wade 70 

J. Frank Chambers 74 

Phineas H. Holconib 84 

Jndge Samuel Levy 92 

Santford Hardy 118 

Judge Sam West 120 

Lorenzo D. Wimsatt 124 

George W. Stith 126 

Charles A. Donton 132 

Jacob D. Allen 138 

John Emery Dowell 142 

O. D. Austin 146 

S. T. Broaddus .... 1^0 

R. E. Pritchard 1^2 

Geo. Templeton 164 

Dr. J. T. Hull 166 

Henry Speer 168 

John Atkisou 180 

James Drysdaie 186 

William E. Walton 188 

V. B. Vandyke 196 

W. F. Hemstreet 61 

AV. W. Graves 20 

W. O. Atkeson 30 

S. W. Dooley . . ' 35 

E. D. Kipp 81 

H.C.Clark 116 

E. C. Mudd 137 

T. W. Silvers 21 

J. C. Hagedorn 205 



2IO OLD .SRTTLKRS' HISTORY 

INDEX TO CONTRIBUTORS. 



PAG?: 

S. C. Sttirtevant 14 

Prof. L. P>. Allison 65 

Ed S. Austin 76 

John B. Newberry 121 

C. I. Robords 133 

C. C. Blankenbaker 139 

Edmund Bartlett 143 

Mrs. E. M. Clark 147 

Allen Blount , 151 

John Bowman 153 

J, N. Laman • • ^55 

John H. Thomas 164 

Washington Park 165 

Jason S. Woodfin 166 

J. J. Ohler 167 

Clark Wix 168 

Henry Speer 169 

S. H. \A'eddle 173 

John A. Deviney 178 

John Atkison , 180 

R. G. Hartwell 184 

J. S. Pierce 187 

James Drysdale 188 

W. E. Walton • • 189 

George Sears 195 

V. B. Vandyke 197 

Mrs. Ann Dobbins 206 



Sectional County Map 17 



^ 



OF BATKS COUNTY. 211 



GENERAL INDEX. 



PAGR 

History of Missouri to 1821 10 

Organization of County 14 

Bates County from 1821 to i860 20 

Harmony Mission . 2i 

Pappinsville 24 

Sketch of Eli J. Cline 25 

Northeastern Bates 26 

Johnstown 27 

Other Settlements and West Point 28 

Butler 30 

Border Troubles 32 

Pioneer Life 3.S 

History from i860 to 1865 . 37 

General Ewing's Order No. ]i 41 

History from 1865 to 1870 -^4 

History from 1870 to 1900 52 

Mineral Products — Coal 54 

Other Minerals 57 

Court House — cut 58 

Cities, Towns, Villages, Post-offices 58 

Public Schools 65 

The Press of County 71 

Crimes and Casualties 76 

Old Settler's Society 81 

First Annual Meeting 85 

Second Annual Meeting . 88 

Third Annual Meeting 91 

Roster of Old Settlers 92 

Spanish-American War 117 

County Directory 118 

P'inaucial — Valuation 119 

Surplus Products i2o 



212 OLD SETTI,B;RS' HISTORY 

Growth from 1S53 to 186 1 124 

Character, Habits, etc 126 

Pwducation 127 

Mirthful and Ainusino- 128 

Fifty Years Ago 133 

A Model Log House 134 

My Watermelon Patch 136 

Takes Two to Shoot Wild Turkey 137 

Sign Language of Birds 138 

Pioneer Life in Bates County 139 

Incidents 142 

Judge Edmund Bartlett • • • • 143 

In Northern Bates 145 

In West Point Township 147 

In Deer Creek Township 151 

Early Settlements 153 

When County was Young 155 

The Nottingham Murder 161 

Early Incidents 164 

Since the War ] 69 

Early Times in Bates and Cass 173 

Interview of J. A. Deviney 17S 

Details Historical P'acts 180 

R. G. Hartwell's Letter 184 

Battle at Fort Toothman 187 

W. E- Walton's Contribution 189 

George Sears — Interview 195 

V. B. Vandyke Reviews Old Times 197 

Rocky Mountain Locusts 200 

Massacre at Miami Ford 201 

Mrs,. J\.\m Dobbins — Letter 208 



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